Aftermath
by ErinJordan
Summary: The desperate search for Joe continues as everyone deals w/the Aftermath of Hayden's abuse. When Frank and Joe' s mental and physical health is at stake Fenton reveals a startling Hardy family secret. Can everyone stay focused on finding Joe? Can Joe hang on? Plus, The trial for Hayden is fast approaching. Henry refuses to testify without Joe.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi, everyone I'm back with Aftermath the sequel to Pressure. First off I want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing or following my last story Pressure you are all wonderful. **_**Again thank you to my beta reader elven buddy who is doing** **a** **wonderful job.**

 _ **I decided to revise my story a bit, there still will be a trial, you'll get to know Henry a little bit more, and other characters and most importantly you'll find out what happened to Joe. aside from Frank and Joe, Fenton is one of my favorite characters.**_ **I love stories where he is more involved especially where his boys are concern.** _ **So I wanted to explore his family history a little bit, it will give Frank a better understanding of who he is after all everyone knows he takes after his father. In addition, for all you Frank and Callie fans there will be something for you too/ hopefully you'll like Callie in this she's going to be the strength that helps Frank to keep going to find Joe.**_

 ** _I have my story outlined and I only have the first Chapter done, it takes place right where I left off in the last chapter of Pressure. So what do you think?_**

* * *

 **Summary:**

 _ **The desperate search for Joe continues as everyone deals with the Aftermath of Jack Hayden's abuse/ Frank learns a Hardy family secret/ Fenton must deal with a personal issue of his own childhood that he regrets passing it on to Frank. Can they stay focused on finding Joe/ Can Joe hang on? Plus, The trial for Jack Hayden is a fast approaching. Henry suddenly refuses to testify against his abusive father/ Frank suspects it has to do with Joe. *It would help to read (Pressure rewritten) first, it would make this story since**_

Aftermath

Chapter 1

 _After taking an hour or so to cool off, Frank made his way back to the barn, finding everyone sitting around the table eating and talking and generally having a good time._

 _Laura saw him and immediately got up and hurried over. "Frank, where's Joe?" she asked anxiously._

 _"Isn't he here?"_

 _"No."_

 _"We got into a bit of an argument," Frank glanced over at Henry before turning back to his mother. "He must still be angry with me."_

 _"You know he can't go off by himself."_

 _"He was heading towards the stable, he's probably still there if that's where he went."_

 _"Hey, I can't find Duke." Chet announced as he hurried into the barn. "I went up to the house to check on him and the back door was wide open."_

 _Alarm bells started to go off in Frank's head. Frank glanced over at Con as the police officer rose from where he'd been sitting at the table. "Everyone stay here. Baker, call the Chief."_

 _"Yes sir!'_

 _"I'm calling Fenton." Laura reached for her phone, doing her best not to panic, wanting to stay in control for everyone else's sake. "Frank, go find Joe!"_

 _Without a second thought, Frank took off running towards the stable, with Con not far behind him. Horrible thoughts ran through his mind, not knowing what was happening to his brother. "Oh God let him be okay." Each step they ran seemed like an eternity._

 _Finally they reached the stable where they could hear Millie causing a ruckus in her stall. Bursting through the door Frank exclaimed, "OH MY GOD!" He stopped in shock, Con practically bumping into him; there at their feet lay Duke, covered in blood. It was obvious to them both that the dog was dead._

 _And there was Hayden, standing next to the dog, gripping a knife, dripping blood. "Put the knife down, now!" Con ordered, aiming his gun that he'd pulled out of its holster at Hayden's head._

 _Dropping the knife, Hayden made a dash for it, trying to escape. He was quickly brought to the floor though, having been tackled by Frank who'd anticipated the move._

 _"Where's my brother?" Frank hissed at the man._

 _"I don't know." Hayden panted as he stared up at Frank, a grin on his face._

 _"You son of a bitch! What have you done to my brother?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _"You're lying. Tell me where he is...or I'll crush your windpipe." Frank snarled, giving the man an icy stare as his hands gripped Hayden's throat tightly. "Where's my brother!?"_

 _"Frank! Stop!" Con pulled the elder Hardy boy off the teacher. "You don't want to do this."_

 _"Go ahead, kill me." Hayden taunted him. "It's what I would do. You're just like me."_

 _It was at that point that reinforcements in the form of Chief Collig, Sam, and Fenton arrived with numerous other officers. "Frank!" Fenton exclaimed in surprise, prying his son off of Hayden._

 _Finally Frank let go, keeping his gaze locked on Hayden. Together, Con Riley and Officer Baker hauled the teacher to his feet, pinning him against the stable wall._

 _This time Hayden stood face to face with Fenton. "Where's my son?!" Fenton demanded, narrowing his eyes and giving the man a death-glare. It was taking every last bit of the strength he had to stay in control and not kill the man himself; finding Joe was his main priority, every second counted._

 _"I don't know." Hayden said firmly._

 _"Riley! Take him to the station! Maybe he'll feel like talking there." Chief Collig ordered. "Then I want a full scale search for Joe started."_

 _"Yes sir!" Con slapped a pair of handcuffs on Hayden's wrists before walking Hayden out to the waiting police car, trailed by Fenton and Frank. The crowd watched as Hayden was deposited into the back of the car, all wondering the same thing: where was Joe?_

 _Sam and Charles Morton as well as all Frank and Joe's friends eagerly volunteered to help in the search for Joe. The more people looking, the faster they hoped he'd be found, after all. Callie stayed with the other women, helping them to clean up; she wanted to stay nearby in case they needed her, they were both upset, understandably so._

 _Feeling guilty, Henry hung back, unsure of what to do now. All he knew was that Joe was missing and it was his fault, everyone must hate him now._

 _Tire tracks were found on the far side of the stable. The road at the back of the property, not too far from the stable led to the highway. The Mortons discovered that the lock on their back door had been hacked off, and inside the kitchen a large knife had been taken, presumably used to kill Duke. Hamburger meat was missing from the fridge; they suspected it had been used to lure the dog from the house._

 _Frank and his father were in the stable searching for clues. "We have to find him Dad, before it's too late. Joe and I had an argument, I have to apologize...I have to make things right..." The elder brother's voice cracked as he confessed to his father, letting the tears fall as he gave into his emotions._

 _Fenton Hardy put his arms around his son, who practically fell into his arms crying. When Frank mastered himself, he released him and instead laid a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him Frank."_

 _Frank nodded, not replying as his eyes continued to scan the room. Suddenly, Frank spotted something on the ground. Picking it up, his heart skipped a beat; it was Joe's leather wallet._

 _"Frank."_

 _"It's Joe," he showed his father._

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Yes," Frank answered as he scanned the wallet's contents. "His credit cards and cash are still inside. Which means..."_

 _"Which means Joe left it behind to indicate he was here," Fenton finished for his son. Anxiously, they finished searching the room, not finding anything else._

 _"I will find you, Joe." Frank vowed. "I promise I will find you…"_

(ooooooooooo)

Saturday 6:45 pm:

"Where are you Joe? What has Hayden done to you?" Frank stood next to his favorite oak tree, his hand clenched around Joe's wallet, the only clue that Joe had managed to leave behind. The warm evening breeze blew through his hair as he watched the sun set over the pond.

Normally, Frank would have enjoyed watching the beautiful scene, but right now it was the enemy. It was now nearly three and a half hours since Joe had gone missing. That was too long in Frank's book. He felt as if his little brother was slipping farther and farther away from him with every minute that ticked by.

Mr. Morton had willingly and wholeheartedly given his permission for the authorities to search his property for the younger Hardy boy. All the Hardys' friends had spent most of the day expressing their concern and helping in the search for Joe.

Henry pretty much kept quiet and out of the way. That was fine with Frank as he wasn't ready to deal with him just yet. Considering how angry he still was, Frank didn't trust himself around Henry at the moment. Everyone, including Chief Collig and his officers, was still searching for his brother and they had yet to find a single sign of Joe's whereabouts.

Earlier in the day, Frank had gone down to the barn where the women were still cleaning up from the party. He'd found both his mother and Mrs. Morton in tears, completely devastated by the day's events. He'd stayed with them for a bit, offering them what comfort he could. Everything was going to be fine...they'd find Joe soon...all while trying to convince himself of the same.

He hadn't really known what to say to Mrs. Morton, other than that he was sorry for what Hayden had done, both to her home and dog. The last thing he'd wanted was to see his friend's mother hurt like that.

It was at that point that Frank could feel himself sliding into hopelessness and despair. His life without Joe...just the possibility was enough to make Frank think part of his soul was dying. He shut his eyes, blocking out the sight of the world, thinking to himself, "If Joe's dead...I'll want to die too."

He didn't get the chance to continue his inner monologue as that was when he was suddenly grabbed by the arm, the with a tight grip. Frank opened his eyes to discover his beautiful girlfriend, practically dragging him away from everyone else. Callie would be considered small next to his six foot one frame, but people often didn't realize just how strong she really was. She was very capable of knocking some sense into him...as he knew she would be now, just by seeing her expression.

 _"Frank Hardy, don't you dare talk like that! Don't even think about it! I'm glad your mother didn't hear what you said; she certainly doesn't need to hear that kind of talk. If you continue talking like that, it means you're giving up on Joe." She said firmly, voice not wavering at all, in spite of her stifling a sob._

 _Her_ _large hazel brown eyes_ _bore into his brown eyes and added, "Joe may be impulsive and careless at times, and lord knows he's been through a lot at such a young age; but he's always managed to pull through because he's a fighter. And that's something you need to be right now."_

 _It was only then that Frank realized that he must've been thinking out loud, leading to Callie overhearing him and thus leading to his girlfriend's tirade._

 _"So don't ever underestimate your brother, Frank. I believe he's alive," She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Have some faith that he will come back to you. Joe won't leave his big brother…not like this."_ Frank shoved the thought from his mind, his eyes wandering until they came to rest on Chet who was in the process of digging his dog's grave.

Suddenly the horrible image he'd witnessed earlier that day came back to him. If Hayden was capable of using a knife to kill a dog...if he could do that to an animal...was it possible he'd done the same thing to Joe? Frank shook his head violently, trying to escape the mental image.

He was a man of facts and logic. He needed proof, solid proof. He needed to see Joe's body for himself before he could ever believe his brother was dead. Until then, Frank would remain hopeful that his little brother was alive.

A small smile spread across his face as he glanced again at his girlfriend. "Thank you Callie." He really didn't know what he'd ever do without her. "You're right; Joe is alive. I can feel him". Unconsciously he ran a hand over his heart, rubbing the area as it ached.

Frank looked up at the sky, praying silently, "I know I don't do this very often, but please God, help me find my brother." He felt tears flowing down his face when he thought of Joe.

(ooooooooo)

"Frank, are you alright?"

Frank turned his head to see Fenton coming up beside him as Callie discreetly moved away. "Yeah, I just came up here to clear my head, I'll be fine." He cleared his throat and finding his face wet from tears, quickly wiped them away. "I feel like I'm trapped in a nightmare that I can't wake up from, no matter how hard I try."

"I know what you mean." Fenton agreed as he put a comforting arm around his eldest. He knew exactly how he felt as he was feeling the same way; fear, worry, and anger were all warring against each other, fighting for dominance.

He was doing his best to keep it together and not fall apart for the sake of his family. He knew he was being a little hypocritical though, telling Frank it was okay to be open in regards to his feelings when he himself did the complete opposite. But Fenton could not afford to fall apart now, there was too much to do in order to find Joe and put a stop to Hayden.

With that, his thoughts turned to Joe, his baby boy and soon to be high school senior. His youngest had been through a lot of rough patches; more than any other kid his age. Iola's tragic death had definitely been the darkest time of his life.

Fenton had never forgiven himself for that poor girl's death. That day should never have been allowed to happen. A young girl had lost her life, her parents, his friends, had lost their daughter; a brother had lost his sister and his youngest son had lost the love of his life. All of that had happened because of Fenton.

Then his thoughts turned to his first-born and soon to be Princeton man. Fenton could not be any prouder of Frank. Although Frank had had his share of rough moments, his life had never been quite as dark as his brother's. He'd never thought of himself as a normal child while growing up, Fenton knew. He'd always kept to himself, often being criticized by outsiders, for being antisocial and insecure.

Frank had always been a quiet, serious child and been very intelligent. Fenton had never seen any child conduct himself with the pose and maturity that Frank did. Frank's intelligence sometimes worked against him though. He'd found socializing and making friends hard as a child because he'd been more advanced than most other kids his age.

There had been times that Frank would have preferred to stay stuck in his room, studying, rather than going out to play with his friends. Fenton and Laura tried their best to always encourage their son to go out, have fun and just enjoy being a kid. After all, childhood only lasted so long. But, Joe turned out had been the magic solution. He'd always managed to push his big brother into being more outgoing and social.

Even though Frank took after Fenton in so many ways, often the elder Hardy regretted that being antisocial was one trait his son had inherited from him. Hiding how he felt was something Fenton Hardy was very good at and it was probably the worst part of himself he could've passed on to his children.

Fenton had never imagined, when he'd decided to become a private investigator, that his decision would ever put the people he cared for, that was to say his wife and children, in danger. Some of the criminals he'd dealt with over the years had lost their lives during altercations with him. It was only natural he supposed that they or their loved ones would want revenge though he had nothing to do with his enemies' life choices. Fenton couldn't even count the number of times either of his sons had fallen prey to his enemies.

Frank and Joe were Fenton's world. From the day Frank had been born, to be followed by Joe a year later, he'd promised to love them and to always keep them safe...and now he'd failed them both. He was supposed to be this big, world-famous detective, how had he failed in protecting his own children? A missing child was every parent's worst nightmare. The thought of Joe lying somewhere badly hurt or worse...Fenton pushed the thought out of his head. "No, no, Joe is alright."

The whole nightmare had started with the incident at school involving both Joe and Henry not more than a few weeks ago. Joe had quarreled with the teacher; it ended with Hayden in the hospital and Joe in jail. All because Joe had found out that, his teacher was abusing Henry at school. That led to Joe finding out that Henry was Hayden's son and not his only victim; other students were involved too. Hayden had threatened to hurt Frank if Joe told anyone about what he knew.

Then his mind flashed back to the image of Frank, tied to that dirty old bed as he, Sam and the police had burst into that basement and found Hayden standing over his eldest son, ready to beat him with that belt. As for what the bastard had done to Joe...Anger ripped through Fenton as he thought of his baby boy shut in that rat infested closet.

Fenton's mind next flashed back to when they'd found Henry _,_ lying on the kitchen floor all battered and bruised; the kid had almost died at the hands of his father. Henry was the star witness in the upcoming trial. Fenton's plan had been to remove the boy from his abusive home and place him with a loving foster family. He'd promised Joe that he would find Henry a place where he'd feel safe and secure; Fenton had thought that the Morton family would be the perfect place.

But now Fenton was beginning to regret his decision. How had this happened? How had his actions led to this? Hayden had found his way to the farm, killed an animal and now Joe was missing.

The guilt and shame were eating at Fenton because he was responsible for all of this, he should never have put the Morton family in that situation; they'd just lost their daughter for Pete's sake! He should never have put Henry on Charles and Donna Morton's shoulders. And then there was Frank...he'd asked his son to trust him. He thought back to that conversation with his son...

 _Frank turned away from the doorway to glance into the hallway where he saw his father striding towards him._

 _"I know you're not happy with this arrangement with Henry." Fenton said, he could see the evidence on his son's face the closer he got. "I need you to trust me."_

 _"Dad, I know you have your reasons and I trust you," Frank answered, hesitating a beat before voicing his concern. "I have to ask; they won't get hurt right? The Mortons have already dealt with so much because of Iola."_

 _"I know you're concerned son. Charles and Donna are both aware of all Henry's issues. They aren't alone in this; Chief Collig, Dr. Reese and I will stay in touch with them to make sure everything's okay. And they'll keep us informed of any problems as well."_

"Frank, I'm so sorry. I asked you to trust me and then let you down. Now the Mortons' house got broken into, their dog was killed and your brother is missing." Fenton blinked back tears. "God…I won't be able to live with myself if Joe…"

"Dad, don't do this to yourself. Joe's alive; I know he is." Frank stopped his father from saying any more. "Hold on to this," he handed Joe's wallet to his father. "This is Joe's way of telling us that he's still with us."

Fenton closed his eyes, clutching Joe's wallet, he drew it to his chest where he held it. He didn't trust himself to speak and so only nodded as a single tear ran down his cheek.

"Do you really think everyone's going to blame you for what Hayden did?" Frank asked gently.

Fenton didn't answer, instead he just opened his eyes. The sad look gave Frank all the answer he needed, although he suddenly saw his father in a different light. Standing before him was not the strong, fearless detective that everyone normally saw. What Frank saw was just an ordinary man, one who hated the term, "famous".

Fenton Hardy thought of himself as just a normal human being. Being a detective and solving cases was just a job, albeit one Fenton enjoyed greatly. Becoming famous had never been his intention. Looking at his father now, Frank saw the stress and worry of a man who felt as though he'd let everyone including his own sons, down. And that was a heavy burden Frank knew.

"You didn't let anyone down. You did what you thought was best for everyone, like you've always done." Frank continued hoping to ease his father's pain. "If anything it's everyone else, Joe and I included, who owe you an apology. We took advantage of you because you go out of your way to help people; we know you're a man of integrity and outstanding character. Everyone respects you."

"Maybe you felt obligated to find a place for Henry to live because of the promise you made Joe. But Dad, it wasn't fair of Joe to ask you to do that; that's not your responsibility."

"The same goes for Mr. and Mrs. Morton. You explained the situation, as well as Henry's issues to them. They could have refused. However, they didn't; because they trust you, just as Joe and I do."

"Thank you for that." Fenton smiled gratefully at his son. "I don't know if I'd use the word obligated." Fenton rubbed his chin. "Then again, maybe I would. Nobody holds a gun to my head, making me do the things I do, I do it of my own volition because I care about people. I've tried to make the world a better place for you and your brother; to show you that there are some good people in the world. I do it because I love you both."

Fenton continued on grimly. "However, I am responsible for all of this and I need to know what happened."

For a brief moment neither of the two spoke, each lost in their own thoughts. "Then I'm responsible as well." Frank huffed wearily. He wasn't going to let his father take the entire blame; not when he felt just as guilty and had played his own part in the situation they were now in. "Lately, my thoughts have been all over the place dealing with my own issues."

"Maybe if I hadn't blown up at Joe the way I did," Frank began telling his father everything, feeling even more guilty as he continued. "He wouldn't have gone off by himself. Maybe I should've gone with them to pick up Henry at the hospital. Maybe I could have prevented them from stopping and letting Henry get his hair cut."

"Wait. What? They made a stop." Fenton cut in. He just looked at Frank, blinking. He was shocked, this was something he hadn't known about.

"Yes." Frank nodded as he noted the undertone of anger in his father's voice. "Con said Henry had asked if he could get his hair cut..."

"They were not supposed to make a stop." Fenton's anger began to rise. "They were supposed to come straight here from the hospital." Fenton couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could they have been so careless?

Finally finding his voice, Fenton began firing questions at his son. "Did any of them say where they'd stopped or mention seeing anyone following them? Were they paying any attention at all to their surrounding?" He took a calming breath. "Both Con and Joe should know better than to do what they did."

Frank just shook his head, now feeling even guiltier since he couldn't answer his father's questions. "I don't know. I didn't get the chance to ask them. I was livid when I saw Henry's new haircut, after everyone went down to the barn to eat dinner, I stayed back and had it out with Joe."

"Why on earth would Henry's haircut make you so angry?" Fenton's brows knit together as he struggled to understand.

"I take it you haven't seen Henry yet, have you?" It was more a statement than a question.

"No, I've been a little preoccupied with trying to find your brother." Fenton fired back. "That is completely out of character for you...I understand that you're dealing with your own issues, but your job was to keep an eye on things while you were here."

"I also know that when Joe's hurt or in trouble, your judgment becomes impaired. So obviously, this issue has to do with Joe." He concluded.

"Henry cut and dyed his hair blond to look like Joe." Frank was still fuming over that. "It's more than just a haircut; it's actually a combination of things. There are some disturbing things about Henry that I think you need to know about. I probably should've told you this sooner. Basically, I think Henry is becoming just like Hayden."

Fenton just stared at his son; Frank knew it was time to let his father know what else had been going on.

Frank took a deep breath and launched into the story of Henry's odd behavior; the drawing depicting Joe as a superhero, Henry's angry reaction to Biff's punching Joe in the shoulder. He told his father about how Joe seemed to be in denial, always defending Henry's actions as normal, concluding with why he and his brother had been arguing lately.

"I had a feeling there was something going on between you two." Fenton asked directly, "What about the nightmares?"

"The nightmares?" Frank repeated.

"Yes the nightmares." Fenton nodded. "Ever since Joe got home from the hospital, your mother and I saw the underlying tension between you both. We noticed that Joe wasn't acting like himself, being quiet and distant is more like you than it is like him."

"I know he's dealing with a lot; your leaving soon has only added to the strain he's under. The panic attacks have gotten worse haven't they? I'm pretty sure that's why he's been having nightmares."

Frank gazed up at the evening sky, remembering the promise he'd made to his brother, before looking back down at his father. "I'm sorry Dad; I can't really answer that because I made a promise to Joe that I wouldn't say anything. He promised me he would continue with his therapy."

Fenton sighed wearily. "Alright, I'm not going to ask you to break a promise you made to your brother. You're entitled to your secrets, but you also have to know your limits. It's important for your mother and I know what's going on when it comes to your health."

"Okay, that's fair enough," Frank, agreed. "Once we have Joe back I promise we will sit down with you and Mom and talk."

"Okay, fair enough." Fenton, agreed. "And I look forward to hearing more; believe me we'll be talking about this." Fenton said steering back to the subject at hand, "But, right now finding your brother is top priority. Con was on his way to take Hayden to the station, so I'll talk to him there. First though, I need to have a chat with Officer Baker."

Having said that, Fenton left and made his way towards the farmhouse to find the elusive officer.


	2. Chapter 2

**A very special Thank you to candyLou, rebeccareneesharplake, Highflyer ,Cherylann Rivers, Penlew, Ritu, for reviewing my last chapter and for those who are reading and Following and Favorites. Also, want to give a big thank you to elven buddy for helping me beta read my story. You are awesome!**

 **Oh and, Highflyer I went back and changed the color of Callie's eyes, thanks for pointing that out to me, this is my first time writing Callie, so please all you Callie fans let me know how I'm doing :)**

 **here is my new chapter hope you like?**

Aftermath

Chapter 2

Callie felt the warm evening breeze blow through her hair as she made her way up to the farmhouse. "Oh, Frank," she sighed, lost in her thoughts thinking of him worrying himself sick over his brother. It had nearly broken her heart when she saw him earlier, seeing the devastation on his face when he'd hugged his mother.

She was trying to put up a brave front and be strong for Frank, but she wasn't sure if her strength was enough to help him get through this.

Everything had gone downhill; all because of Hayden. He'd killed the Morton family dog after breaking into their home and to add insult to injury Joe was now missing.

She really did like Joe, even if they drove each other crazy sometimes. Maybe it was time the two of them sat down for a chat; it would give them the chance to iron out their issues and hopefully, come to an understanding. She knew Joe was a big part of his brother's life, it would probably mean a lot to him if the two of them could be friends. Frank loved them both she knew and it wasn't fair to constantly be putting him in the middle.

" _If Joe is dead... I'll want to die, too,"_ Frank's words began playing in her head like an old broken record player. She hated seeing him looking so lost without Joe.

The way she saw it, that meant he was already giving up hope. Frank and Joe had a special connection she knew, it was evident in the words they used and in how they seemed able to communicate through their feelings. Not everybody was able to understand it but to Callie, it almost seemed like Frank and Joe were each a half of a whole person. She was certain they could feel each other's pain.

If Frank really felt that Joe was… was, no! No! Callie could not let herself think that way and she could not let Frank do the same. She was happy that she'd made the decision earlier to pull Frank aside to knock some sense into him. She'd wanted to offer him a bit of hope and give him that little bit of motivation to keep fighting. After all, this was the man she loved and wanted a future with one day. They'd sat under that oak tree, not more than a few hours ago, pouring their hearts out; confessing their love for each other.

As Callie made her way past the barn, she couldn't help but think of the way Frank's warm lips pressed on hers, sending a tingling sensation through her body. Letting her mind wander even further, she wondered what it would be like to take things to the next level, blushing as she wondered if people around her could see where her mind was. Suddenly, a loud crash snapped her right out of her fantasy.

Looking to her left, she noticed the barn door was still open. There was Laura, broken dishes scattered around her.

"Oh, Donna I-I'm sorry." Laura gasped, her eyes widening as she surveyed the mess she'd made. Bending down to pick up the broken dishes, she went to grab a piece when, "ouch!" she cut her hand on a jagged edge, blood starting to run down her hand.

"Laura!" Donna Morton exclaimed as she dropped a container of food on the table and hurried to Laura's side.

"Oh, no!" Callie rushed over to offer her aid. "Here take this." She kneeled down, and handed Laura a cloth she got of the table. Callie noticed Laura's eyes were blood-shot, red, and puffy from crying and worrying herself sick over Joe.

"Thank you Callie." Laura took the cloth and held it to her hand to help stop the bleeding. "Donna, I am so sorry about the dishes…"

"Don't worry about the dishes. I'm more worried about you." Donna pushed back her own grief and worries, to support her friend.

Laura had always been a good friend to her, especially in the aftermath of Iola's death. They'd all shared her grief, after all, Joe had been a very special person in her daughter's life. She knew how Laura was feeling; the worst kind of pain for a mother was the thought of your child, lost, hurt, or worse. She prayed that they would find Joe soon and that he was all right.

Donna knelt besides Laura. "Can I see your hand?" Opening the cloth, Laura winced as she held her hand out for inspection. "It doesn't look too deep." Donna examined the cut.

"I'll be fine. I need to clean this mess up." Laura replied, not wanting to make a fuss over a cut.

"No, you are not." It was obvious to Donna that Joe took after his mother when it came to refusing medical attention.

"Laura, you're going to go up to the house. In the bathroom on the main floor, you'll see a first aid kit. You go take care of that hand; I'll clean up this mess. If Fenton and Frank saw you hurt, it would be something else for them to worry about, and they'll lose all focus when it comes to finding Joe."

"Alright." Laura gave in. Donna was right; Fenton and Frank needed to stay focused on Joe; finding him was their main priority right now.

"I'll go with you." Callie offered, as she and Donna helped Laura to her feet.

"That's okay, Callie, there's no need, I can manage." Laura protested.

"Besides, I want to see how Chet is doing." Callie persisted; looking after Laura was one responsibility she could take off Frank and his father's shoulders.

"Alright, thank you, Callie." Laura smiled as she patted the girl's hand with her own uninjured limb. She was very touched at the girl's kindness. With that, the three women parted ways.

(OOOOOOO)

Donna Morton swept up the broken dishes with a broom before discarding the pieces into the garbage can outside. There she caught Henry sitting on the ground against the barn door, with his legs up to his chest and, his arms tucked tight around them. He had the saddest expression on his face.

She walked over, kneeling down beside him. "Henry, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged.

"What are you doing, sitting out here?" She asked him gently.

"I'm just staying out of everyone's way." He grumbled looking down at the ground.

"You're not in the way." Donna ran a hand through his blond hair. "Why don't you go join Chet and the other kids on the front porch?" She suggested.

Henry shook his head before glancing up at his new foster mom. "I-I can't". Henry stuttered before he started to tear up.

"Well why not?" Donna asked puzzled.

"They hate me." He stifled a sob, "Because of what J-Jack did to your house and dog... Joe is missing. It's m-my fault!"

"No, Henry, none of this is your fault." Donna shook her head. "I can assure you the kids don't hate you." She said feeling sorry for the boy. "They're just upset that's all it is."

"Frank does." Henry cut in. He wiped his tears from his face. "For some reason he doesn't want Joe to be friends with me. That's why he didn't come to pick me up with Joe, Chet and your husband. He didn't want to be near me."

"Did he tell you he hated you?"

"No, but I can tell. The other day at the hospital he came with Joe to see me." Henry lied, sniffing back tears." At first, Frank was nice to me; he wanted t-to get to know me better, and to learn about things that I am interested in like superheroes and comic books. Frank said he wanted us to be friends. I know he was lying; he just said that because Joe was there."

"When Joe wasn't watching, Frank glared at me with hatred in his eyes. Just like J-Jack always does." He began to choke up. "Frank hates J-Jack. He thinks I'm just like him." Henry added more tears as he strove to be convincing. "I'm scared that if Jack actually has done something to Joe...I mean if... Joe is d-dead, Frank's going to come after me..." his voice trailed off.

Donna blinked at the boy's voice; there was genuine anger and fear in his voice. She wasn't sure what to make of this. "That doesn't sound like Frank." Donna replied at last. "He, Joe and Chet grew up together. They're such good friends; I've always known Frank to be a kind-hearted, polite, young man."

"Maybe you misread his reaction." She suggested. "I'm sure Frank isn't directing his anger towards you personally. It's just because of the situation." This had to be a misunderstanding, she thought. "And I'm sure things will calm down once Joe is back with his family, safe and sound. Then you can try to work things out with Frank."

"It's obvious you don't believe me; why would you? You're friends with his mom!" Henry narrowed his eyes at her "I'm telling you Frank hates me!" He said heatedly. "It's only a matter of time before he turns everyone against me. And because of what J-Jack did to Joe, they have a reason to!"

"Oh, honey." Donna said wrapping her arms around the boy, pulling him into a warm, motherly hug. "Everything's going to be okay. We'll work this out."

Henry hesitated at first then allowed himself to let this woman comfort him in her arms. Looking over her shoulder, Henry smiled inwardly, his eyes darkening. My plan is working; with this woman's help, I will soon have Frank out of the way.

(OOOOOOO)

"There, all patched up." Callie said as she finished applying a bandage to Laura's hand.

"Thank you Callie."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Hardy." Callie answered as she began to pack the first aid kit up and put it back under the sink. "I'm happy to help."

"I appreciate it." Laura said gratefully. "You know, it's nice to be taken care of for a change. Usually, I'm the one playing nurse."

Callie leaned back against the sink and said, "I'm sure you've had plenty of practice patching up your boys, especially with all the trouble and cases they get into."

"Oh yes, with all three of them." Laura nodded. "Although I'd much rather patch up scrape knees and remove splinters to have to deal with bullet and knife wounds any day." Laura began to tear up. Callie's heart went out to her boyfriend's mother who was worrying herself sick over her youngest son.

"Mrs. Hardy, I'm praying for Joe." She said, placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "And I know that Mr. Hardy and Frank will move heaven and earth to find him."

"Yes they will." Laura brushed the tears off her face. She wrapped her arms around Callie. "Thank you." She released Callie holding her at arms length. "I hope my son knows how lucky he is to have you in his life. You know one of these days you're going to have to start calling me Laura."

Callie blushed slightly. Smiling, she answered, "I love Frank very much. Although I want to help and support him through this, I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to handle it all." Her smile turned into a frown as she added. "You've gone through this so much; I wish I could be just as strong as you are."

"Callie sweetie, just you being here means a lot to him I know. You are much stronger than you think you are. I imagine it'd been difficult to get Frank to open up about how he's feeling…?"

"Well yeah," Callie admitted, it felt somewhat weird to be talking to Laura like this, and yet comfortable at the same time. "He's starting to become more open. I let him take baby steps with the whole process; I don't push him. I'm learning to be patient and to just let him talk when he's ready."

"That sounds so much like Fenton, when he was Frank's age." Laura remarked. "I've been watching you both; the way you and Frank look at each other, it reminds me so much of Fenton and I at your age. We were high school sweethearts too."

"Really?" Callie gushed, her eyes wide. "That is so sweet."

"Yes, but it wasn't always sweet." Laura said thoughtfully. "When we started dating it took Fenton a while to open up to me about whatever it was he was feeling. I had both friends and family telling me I should break it off with him, because Fenton was incapable of loving anyone; there was no future at all with him."

Callie knitted her brows together. "Why would they say such a thing?"

"Unlike our boys, Fenton never had a close relationship with his father. From what I was told, he was a hard man to live with; he never showed any kind of emotion, physical or otherwise. The words 'I love you' were not in his vocabulary. He taught Fenton that men don't cry, if they did, it was a sign of weakness."

"Fenton was around Frank and Joe's age when his father was killed in a car accident." That was the story Fenton had given her and the boys. They knew very little of the Hardy family history because Fenton and his older sister Gertrude refused to talk about their father, Frederick Hardy. Laura had always suspected that the two of them were hiding some secret, something they didn't want anyone to know about.

Laura had always thought it was unfair to the boys. It was important, she felt the boys should know about that side of their family; it was after all a part of who they were. Frank and Joe would be carrying on the Hardy family name, after all.

Callie broke into Laura's thoughts. "That must've been awful; to grow up and not hear your father say he loves you."

"Yes, it was." Laura nodded as she continued. "That's why I went against what my family and friends wanted; I could see there was something different in Fenton. Deep down, I knew he was capable of loving people; he just needed to be shown what love was."

Callie found herself captivated by Laura's story. How it hadn't taken long for her to fall in love with Fenton and know that he was the one she'd marry. She felt honored that Laura would share something so personal with her.

Callie knew that both her mother and Laura Hardy were very strong women; to have that strength and confidence, that's what Callie wanted for herself as well.

Laura had fought hard for the man she loved; acknowledging him and everything he did with positive reinforcement. Giving him her undivided attention, she helped him to feel comfortable around her and in talking to her about what he was feeling. She was there to support him.

Laura did everything she could to help him feel that the two of them were a team; she held him hands when they went for walks and rested her head on his shoulder, she wanted him to feel like he was the one helping her, protecting her from the world, even if she didn't need all that much protection. She wanted him to see that she loved him and that reciprocating on occasion was okay; it was allowed and even, appreciated. Eventually her plan worked as he began showing his affection for her more openly.

"We got married right out of college, soon after Fenton decided to go into law enforcement. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. Then, when Fenton found out he was going to be a father, he vowed then and there that he'd always show his children just how much they were loved."

"Holding Frank for the first time Fenton, there's no better way to describe it, basically turned into mush. A year later, I witnessed the same thing happen when Joe was born. I have never seen a father so in love with his boys as Fenton is." Laura wrapped up her story with a smile on her face as a single tear fell down her cheek.

"Fenton to this day still has problems when it comes to showing his emotions. Frank and he are so alike, it's scary sometimes. From their good looks to their personality; I think though that being afraid to show emotion is the one trait Fenton regrets passing onto Frank."

"My advice to you Callie is to keep doing what you're doing with Frank. Like I said; you are a lot stronger than you think you are. Being patient and open with each other in regards to your feelings is the key to a strong marriage; just don't lose yourself in the process."

(OOOOOO)

A few minutes later, Frank and Fenton made their way up to the Morton's farmhouse. Frank could see Mr. Morton and his friends gathered around Chet on the front porch.

As they got closer, Frank noticed Chet was sitting on the porch with Ginger's head in his lap, stroking her head as he wore the saddest expression. It wasn't right; this was fun, easygoing Chet Morton who'd never hurt anyone. Frank hated to see Chet like that; Chet didn't deserve to be hurt. Losing Iola had been painful enough and now Hayden had had to go and murder his beloved dog?

If Frank remembered correctly, Chet had rescued Duke from the pound. Chet had been looking into getting another dog as a playmate for Ginger; rather than look at the pet stores, he'd checked out the local SPCA. He'd been just in time, someone had just brought a stray in and Chet had ended up adopting him.

Just then, a police car pulling into the farm's driveway interrupted his thoughts. Frank and his father watched as the car stopped and the Chief stepped out flanked by Sam Radley and Officer Baker. Their presence alone, told Fenton that there was something going on.

"Fenton, we may have found something". The chief of police interrupted Fenton's thoughts.

"Chief, what have you got?" Fenton prompted as he clutched Joe's wallet in his hand. Finally! This could end up being the break they needed.

"A black sedan was found abandoned about two miles out of town, along the oceanfront on Shore Road" the Chief replied.

"Shore Road, of course!" Frank exclaimed. "The tire tracks that we found on the other side of the stable lead to a back road that eventually gets you to the highway. From there you can easily access all the highways of New York City, New Jersey, and even, possibly Connecticut."

"Who found the car?" Fenton asked forcefully.

"Officer Baker and I came up on it." Sam answered. "We did a thorough search of the car, and found a blond hair in the trunk and along with something else." Sam stopped, finding it hard too just say the word.

"Sam? What did you find?" Fenton asked anxiously. His heart stopped when he saw the hesitation in his friend's eyes. He braced himself for the bad news that was coming.

Sam let out a heavy sigh as he answered, "Blood."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hi everyone! I am so sorry for this long delay of this next chapter I have been really busy, seems like everything happens all at once. I'm doing my best to update, just know I'm always working on it, I am not abandoning this story I will see it to the end._**

 ** _I'd like to thank the following people for taking the time to read and take the time to leave a review on my late to chapters. Ritu, Emily, Caranath, Highflyer, candylou, Cherylann Rivers and I'd also like to thank elven buddy for helping my edit my story you are awesome. And thank you to those who are reading and following along._**

 ** _Just so you know Joe is in this one so hopefully it make up for the delay. Here is my new chapter hope you like_**

Aftermath

Chapter 3

"Blood," Frank felt as if he was going to be sick. He instinctively began to rub a hand over his heart as he felt an ache. "Oh no, Joe."

"It was a small patch of blood." Sam hastened to reassure them as he saw their faces go pale. "Look, Fenton, Frank, we don't know if it's Joe. We'll know more as soon as forensics get back to us."

"There is a very good chance that it could be Joe." Fenton took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had to stay calm and focus... But his mind just would not let go of the word 'blood'. That meant that Joe was hurt or...he couldn't finish the thought.

"Joe is alive. I know he is." Frank spoke up hastily. "Even a small amount of blood could mean that Joe's hurt. What about the knife? Was blood on the knife as well? Did Hayden stab Duke before Joe...?" Frank's mind was rapidly changing gears now thinking of Hayden, holding a bloody knife as he stood over Duke's lifeless body.

"Forensics will look into that too." Sam replied.

"This doesn't make sense." Frank suddenly felt all eyes on him.

"What do you mean?" Fenton asked.

"Now that I think about it," Frank continued his train of thought. "When Con and I first got to the stable, Hayden was standing over the dog's body, looking ready to fight." He shook his head slightly. "It was like Hayden was waiting for us."

He glanced around at everyone. "We all know Hayden threatened to kill Joe, if Henry didn't stay away from him. But if Hayden _did_ stab Joe with the intent to...kill him." Frank stumbled over his words as he finished speaking. "Why not leave his body? What reason would he have to take Joe?"

"Well, what other reason would there be unless it's the trial." Fenton added his two cents. "Joe could've been taken to use as leverage."

"Did you get the licenses plate number on the black sedan?"

"We have. The car was registered to a Stanley O'Bryan." Chief Collig stated. "It turns out; he'd reported his car missing from the parking lot of the Bellevue hospital in New York. Getting in touch with Chief Winslow of the Bellevue police department, he mentioned that Mr. O'Bryan works in maintenance at the hospital."

"Evidently, he was taking a coffee break down in the cafeteria where he came across a new nurse. After introducing himself the two struck up a conversation where she confided that she was a bit nervous as she was brand new to the hospital."

"The conversation gradually grew flirtatious as she relaxed. He talked too much and began to brag about how he was the maintenance head, he gave her the layout of the building; he even showed her the ring of keys he had that led to many storage closets."

"To make a long story short, during the conversation the nurse "accidently" spilled her coffee on him. Once he'd finished cleaning everything up, he discovered that all his keys, including the ones for his car, were gone along with his ID badge."

"Two hours later, they had to evacuate the hospital due to a fire breaking out on the second floor. It was the evacuation that Hayden was found to be missing."

"Mr. O'Bryan said that the nurse went by the name Karen Daniels; at least, that was the name on her badge and estimated her to be in her late twenties or early thirties, with short dark hair."

"Chief Winslow also mentioned that they've determined the cause of the fire- it'd started in a storage closet on the second floor of the hospital." Sam put in. "They were able to obtain surveillance footage of two women in scrubs leaving the closet; they couldn't see their faces due to the two women wearing masks."

"Karen Daniels' description fits our Nurse Matthews and Karen Marshall." Frank exchanged looks with his father. He began processing this latest information. "The other woman could very well be Cindy Hayden."

"From what I understand this Karen Marshall is a person of interest to the Southport police." Fenton answered, while thinking about what his boys had told him in regards to their hunt on Nurse Matthews. "The young woman was fired after stealing medication and behaving inappropriately towards a patient. The patient, a Duncan Edwards, died under her care."

"It's obvious that being a nurse works to this woman's advantage. Getting in and out of hospitals undetected is no problem for her; I mean she helped Cindy Hayden disappear twice."

"So it'd make sense that she'd find a way to help sneak Hayden out of the hospital. I'm sure Cindy Hayden would want to help her husband any way she could."

His heart pounding out of his chest, Frank continued as his father finished talking. "We need to find her; this woman is being accused of a man's death. I know we shouldn't assume anything, but let's say this accusation is true. That would mean Joe's in grave danger; she, Cindy and Ryan Hayden could all be just as dangerous as Jack Hayden."

"Maybe we need to look into Duncan Edwards as well?" Sam suggested.

"If it gets us closer to finding Joe, I'd say go for it; at this point we can't overlook anyone." Fenton replied. "There's a chance that more than one person is involved in this; I doubt those two ladies could've pulled everything off by themselves."

"Where is Ryan Hayden?" he asked bluntly.

"Ryan is currently under house arrest." Chief Collig answered.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," The chief said puzzled by the detective's questions. "I have officers stationed outside his house. Ryan has to wear an electronic ankle bracelet so we can monitor his every move. He's pretty much confined to his house until the trial."

"I wish I could be confident about that, but I'm not." Fenton said heatedly. "I'm sorry to say it but right now, I don't trust your officers to keep constant watch on that bastard." He was still fuming over what Frank had told him about the stop to the barbershop.

"What the hell does that mean?" Chief Collig's face began to darken with anger. "Of course my officers are trustworthy; they've been working tirelessly, along with everyone else, to find Joe. Why do you say different?" He understood the Fenton's emotions are all over the place because of Joe. He couldn't believe Fenton would questioning his officers.

Fenton turned to the officer. "Maybe Officer Baker could answer that."

Chief Collig looked at his officer and demanded, "What is Detective Hardy talking about?"

"Apparently, after leaving the hospital they stopped of at a barbershop." Fenton answered for him.

Officer Baker's eyes widened, so that he looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "I-I- umm...?"

"Answer the question yes or no, did you guys make a stop."

"Well, y-yes." The young officer stuttered as he felt everyone's eyes on him.

"Baker, you'd better explain yourself right now." Chief Collig growled, "You weren't supposed to make any stops." The chief's anger began to rise. "You and Officer Riley were supposed to come straight here from the hospital with the boys and Mr. Morton."

Baker sighed wearily. "Joe came out of Henry's room and explained the kid's request to Riley. He wanted to get his haircut. We talked it over. After the hell Henry's been through, we thought it'd be okay. There was supposed to be a party in the kid's honor; you can't blame him for wanting to look his best. Riley agreed in the end but made it clear to Henry that it would be a quick stop."

"Where did you stop?"

"We stopped at Al's barbershop, about a mile away from the hospital."

"Who accompanied the kid into the shop?"

"Joe, Henry, Mr. Morton and myself. For some reason Chet Morton stayed in the SUV and Officer Riley stayed outside to keep watch. Mr. Morton offered to pay for Henry's haircut. I stayed with them the entire time. The place wasn't all that busy so it took like five maybe ten minutes, then we left for the farm."

"Chet stayed in the SUV?" Frank asked, surprised at that. Chet knew he was supposed to keep an eye on Henry for him.

"Yeah, I'm not sure why he seemed to be disgruntled about something." The officer replied.

Frank looked back at Chet sitting with his dog on the porch surrounded by their friends. He wondered if something had happened.

"At any point in time, were any of you paying attention to your surrounding?" Fenton took a calming breath. "Or notice anyone following you?"

"Oh, yes of course we were paying attention." Officer Baker nodded. "As a matter of fact we did..."His voice trailed off, "oh my god...Riley did mention seeing a dark car following us. It was about two cars behind us. But the car turned down a side street and we didn't see it again."

Frank concluded with, "Then, within an hour or two of Con arriving with everyone else, Hayden managed to sneak onto the farm and break into the house where he lured the dog to the stable using the hamburger meat. Once at the stable, he killed the dog. It's possible that Joe stumbled across him doing this," Frank concluded.

"It's possible that the black sedan is the same car Riley saw..." Officer Baker gasped as the reality of the situation hit him. "Oh my god...I'm so sorry Detective Hardy...I don't know what to say. I guess we messed up this time."

"Fenton, I know saying I'm sorry isn't enough for what my officers did." Chief Collig apologized, as he glared at the officer in question. "I can assure you that the matter will be taken care of. You have my department's full cooperation; we will do all we can to help find Joe."

Frank spoke up feeling just as guilty. "I guess in a way we all got distracted and lost focus on the job at hand."

Fenton's thoughts quickly turned to his missing son. "And because of those mistakes, Joe's life is at stake." He was fighting a host of different emotions; it was taking every ounce of his strength not to break down. All he could think about was the blood they'd found and the fact that his baby boy was hurt.

Frank caught a glimpse of a slight cold and serious expression on his father's face. To hear his father speak with such bitterness was a little unsettling. He knew that Fenton was very protective when it came to his family, mainly with him and Joe. If anyone harmed his children in any way, all bets were off and having committed the ultimate sin, that person would certainly face his wrath. Nobody hurt Fenton's family and got away with it. And of course, Frank knew, not knowing what was happening with Joe was weighing heavily on his father's mind.

Frank was troubled by the thought that Fenton was carrying the weight of the blame and responsibility of Hayden's actions on his shoulders. After all this time it'd never occurred to him that his father might still be shouldering the blame of Iola's death on himself as well.

Frank couldn't help but wonder how his father managed to stay so strong and keep his emotions under control without losing his sanity. Every man had a breaking point, Frank knew. He just wondered how long it would be before his father reached his.

Turning back to Fenton, Frank steered the conversation back to finding Joe. "Okay, we can also hold ourselves partially to blame for all the mistakes that were made. But let's not forget that Joe is still out there, counting on us to find him. So let's all right our wrongs, put our mistakes behind us and do our jobs in bringing my little brother home."

Fenton couldn't help but smile proudly as he watched his eldest son take charge and get people focused on the job at hand. "Frank's right we're all accountable for our part in this. So let's try to move past this and focus on what we need to do now."

"Okay, so where do we start?" Frank asked eagerly.

"I'll look into the Karen Marshall angle. I'll go to Southport and see what I can find out about Duncan Edwards as well?" Sam volunteered. "I think Karen Marshall is our key to finding Joe."

"I agree." Chief Collig nodded. "I'm heading back to the station to talk to Officer Riley, and then question Mr. Jack Hayden."

'I agree as well." Fenton replied as he slipped into detective mode. "I'd like to check out the Bellevue angle. First however, I'd like to go to the station to hear what Con has to say as well. Plus, I'd like to question Hayden myself."

"Dad please let me go with you? I know I can't be in the room while you question him, but I'd still like to be there." Frank asked, as once again his anger began to rise, just thinking of the man.

"I'm sorry, not this time, son."

Unexpectedly, Frank exploded. "I want to know what that bastard did to my brother!" He wanted to tear Hayden apart limb from limb until he'd confessed what he'd done with Joe. All Frank could think of was the blood the officers had found; he clutched his chest as the pain increased. "I can feel Joe! He's scared and hurt; he needs me!"

Fenton pulled his son away from the group, holding his arm tightly as he spoke calmly. "Frank, calm down. I know you're upset, believe me..."

Finally, Frank took a deep breath, and raking a hand through his hair he calmly replied, "Dad, I'm sorry. I'm just going crazy thinking about Joe. Please I have to do something or I will go crazy."

"Let me go to Bellevue and talk to Mr. O'Bryan, and see what I can find out there. I'll even take Biff with me, that way I won't be by myself." He suggested hoping his father would agree.

Frank could tell Fenton was mulling his idea over. The detective finally replied, "Alright, you can go to Bellevue in the morning."

Fenton put an arm around his son, "First though, I need you to stay here and talk to Chet. I think he could use some company right now. After that, I want you to tell your friends to get home before you take Callie and your mother home. As hard as it may be you need to try to get some rest."

Frank looked back at Chet sitting on the porch with Ginger surrounded by their friends. From what Frank could see, it looked like Henry had mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to Chet. Frank again looked back at Chet; Chet was barely acknowledging Henry's presence. Something else must've happened in regards to Henry. Of course he couldn't blame Chet; the fact that Henry's father had murdered his dog was reason enough.

Then suddenly Frank had a disturbing thought, what if Henry played a part in everything that was going on? Frank thought back to what his father had said about not overlooking anyone, there was a chance more than one person was involved. Henry was smart, maybe smart than anyone thought. What if that had been the plan all along, that Henry was a decoy meant to distract everyone from what was really going on. Was Henry's obsession with Joe an attempt to hide what was really happening?

That didn't make sense though, Frank thought, Henry was terrified of his father! Why would he help Hayden?

(Oooo)

New Haven Connecticut:

Joe's eyes soon fluttered open. His vision was blurry, his head spinning; for some reason he couldn't move his hands, they were above his head and tied to what he thought was a metal headboard. Panic shot through him as he realized he was lying on a bed, pain shooting through his leg as he attempted to move. "Ahhhhh!" he screamed.

Joe was confused; he couldn't remember what had happened or where he was, never mind how he'd got here. His eyes started to grow heavy. Just then a slender blond-haired woman entered his vision. "M-mom...my leg's on f-fire."

Cindy Hayden hesitated for moment. He'd called her Mom, how she'd missed hearing that name from her own son. She couldn't help her maternal instincts, she had to comfort him. "It's okay, sweetie. Mom's here. Everything's going to be fine." She caressed his cheek, trying to impart some comfort.

"Mom, please… make it-t stop." He pleaded between painful breaths. "M-my leg hurts." He tried to move his hands until pain shot through his leg again. "Ahhhhh!"

"Carolyn, do something!" Cindy demanded. Just then, Joe caught another glimpse of a young woman dressed in dark clothing with short dark hair. "We have to take him to a hospital; we could say that he's my son."

"We can't take that chance. Every cop in the state is looking for him and us." Carolyn answered as she walked into the room.

" Ahhhhh! Mom, please… make it-t stop!"

"It's okay, sweetie. I'm here". She said soothingly touching Joe's forehead. She turned back to Carolyn, "You're a nurse, you have to take the bullet out before he bleeds to death!"

"What… No Mom!" Joe's eyes widened, as beads of sweat started to stream down his face. He tried to move his hands until pain shot through his leg again. "Ahhhhh!"

"I have never done surgery! I could kill him." Carolyn shot back after taking a glance at the gunshot wound on the boy's leg.

"This is all Danny's fault anyway!"

"Now wait just a damn minute!" A man wearing a ski mask roared as he entered the room. "This was not my fault! You were supposed to sedate him! He woke up right as we were putting him in the other car." He stabbed a finger in Joe's direction. "He put up a good fight, nearly broke my nose. I was desperate so I pulled the gun out and shot him in the leg to stop him."

"Now I can officially kiss my career goodbye for getting involved with you crazy people. It was bad enough that I had to help you break Jack out of Bellevue Now I've added kidnapping this kid and assault with a deadly weapon to my list of crimes. It's a good thing my cabin is in a secluded area. Nobody can find us here."

"Now somehow, I have to get back to Bayport and work my ass off in order to get Jack and Ryan cleared of all charges at the upcoming trial."

"You think we're crazy, you have no idea," She smiled smugly at the lawyer, "Jack hates it when someone foils his plans. I can just see the look on Jack's face when you tell him you shot the kid. That wasn't part of the plan."

Carolyn walked up to the lawyer, giving him a stony look. "So you had better do your job. You need to keep your composure because, if and when, you're in the same room as the police and Fenton Hardy and you give them any reason at all to suspect your involvement...you will go down for murder right along with us."

"I'll do my job. You do yours." Daniel swallowed the lump that was in his throat, pointing a finger at Joe. "Take the bullet out of the kid. Let me know the minute that you're finished."

"Fine, I can give him something for the pain." Carolyn said dryly. "However I'm going to need some clean bandages and towels, proper lighting, alcohol to sterilize everything and a knife." She nodded at her friend. "Cindy, I'm going to need your help."

"Yes, of course."

Carolyn turned back to Daniel. "I can't guarantee the outcome of the operation. He could lose either his leg or his life."

"Okay, get to it."

Joe's eyes widened when he saw the dark haired woman approach him with a long syringe in her hand.

"This won't hurt a bit. This will only make you very sleepy." She told Joe. "Trust me, you're going to want this with what you're about to go through."

"No, no...stay away from me!" Joe's breathing began to get heavy as tears and sweat ran down his face. He tried to move his arms only to stop as pain again made itself known in his leg. "Ahhhh!"

"Daniel, Cindy, hold him down!"

"Hold still!" Daniel ordered. Laying his hands on Joe's shoulders he pressed down firmly as he and Cindy held him down on the bed.

"No! Let me go!" Joe cried, trying to jerk away. "Ahhhhh!"

Joe looked up at Cindy, pleading with her. "Mom, please… help me… make it-t stop!"

"It's okay sweetie, I'm here. Sssshh. Joe, just calm down, the pain will be over very soon. Just close your eyes and rest." Cindy said in a calming voice, brushing a strain of blond hair out of Joe's eyes.

Closing his eyes Joe felt a prick on the side of his neck. "Frank," he whispered before everything went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi thank you Caranath, Cherylann Rivers, Candylou, Highflyer for taking the time to leave me reviews to my last chapter you're all awesome and than you to those who are reading, following, and favorites my story. Here's my new chapter hope you like.

Aftermath

Chapter 4

Earlier that Saturday morning:

Everyone was in the SUV and on their way to the barbershop. Con had his elbow propped up against the door with his chin resting in his hand as he looked out the passenger window watching the scenery fly by. This was a bad idea; he shouldn't have agreed to this. He was risking his career here by disobeying the Chief's orders, but more importantly, he was risking lives here. The officer prayed silently that everything would work out okay. Glancing out his window, he caught a glimpse of a black car that appeared to have tinted windows in his side mirror. He watched as it pulled into the street, keeping two cars in between them.

At the same time, Joe took a quick glance over his shoulder and out the back window; he too saw the black car. He felt his detective instincts kicking in telling him that there was something suspicious about that car.

Joe and Con kept their eyes on the car as it followed them. Baker made a right turn at the next corner where the barbershop was located. They watched as the black car turned off and disappeared down a side road.

"Sir we're here," Baker announced as he pulled into Al's barbershop's parking lot.

"No wait, this was a bad idea." Con told his fellow officer about the car that'd been following them before disappearing. Con then turned around to face Henry. "I'm sorry Henry but we can't stay. It's not safe, we need to leave now."

"No, no please, I have to get my hair cut. It-t is important. It'll be quick I promise." Henry insisted, he was determined to do this and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

Chet looked at Henry strangely. Why was this so important? He glanced at Joe, Joe just shrugged. Chet was still a little unsure about this. A part of him really didn't want Henry to stay with him and his parents. He'd only agreed to it because it meant so much to his mother. She was happy for the first time since his sister's death; Chet didn't want to ruin that for her.

What if this was a bad idea?

"Henry if Con feels it isn't safe to do this, we have to go." Joe tried to reason. He looked out the window for any sign of the black car.

"J-Jack never lets me do anything." Henry began to work up some tears as he looked back at Con and Joe, an innocent look on his face. "I can't even get my hair cut without his p-permission. P-please, I want...no, I need to do this...for me..."

Con looked at the boy feeling sorry for him. The kid wanted to get his hair cut, there was nothing wrong with that. After the hell he'd been through with his father, it was only natural that he'd want to look his best for a party.

He looked around. From what he could see, the place wasn't busy. It shouldn't take more than what five, maybe ten minutes. "Alright," he said finally. Con turned back to Henry and continued on, "Henry, you are to go in get your hair cut and then come straight out here. Officer Baker will accompany you inside." He gave his final instructions, "You are not to leave his sight. Then we'll head out to the Morton farm."

"I'll go in with him to pay for the haircut," Charles Morton offered. "That is if it's alright with Henry?"

Henry was reluctant to answer him; he didn't intend to have anything to do with his new foster father, but then again, Henry considered, he could take advantage of his generosity now and take care of him later. "I guess that'd be alright, Mr. Morton, thank you."

Joe could see that Henry had tensed up. He figured that Henry could still be a bit resistant towards men who resembled Hayden, even if it was only slightly. Joe knew that this probably wasn't a smart idea. The black car they'd seen could be nothing and it was possible that they were just being overly cautious...but they couldn't take that chance. He knew that if Frank were here he'd tell them this haircut idea was careless and stupid.

For whatever reason, this haircut seemed to be important to Henry. Maybe it was something he had to do to feel like he was rebelling against Hayden; Joe could understand that. Just the thought of Hayden had Joe's nerves on edge; he was still out there somewhere plotting his revenge against him and Henry.

Setting his own thoughts and feelings aside, Joe knew that he was going to do everything he could to help keep Henry safe. Joe saw relief wash over Henry's face as soon as he said, "I'll go in with them too."

He just wished Frank were here. Joe felt a slight twinge in his chest, his heart was hurting for Frank. He missed and needed his brother very much. As soon as they were at the Morton farm, he would go find Frank and the two of them were going to work this thing out once and, for all.

"Stay alert." Con said as everyone except Chet climbed out of the SUV. Chet remained seated. "Chet are you going in with them?"

Chet glanced at his father, Joe and Henry before returning his gaze back to Con. What was happening here? It was as if Henry'd cast some spell on everyone, he'd managed to completely manipulate the situation. What surprised Chet the most though was that both Joe and Con Riley had fallen for it.

"No, I'm staying here." He grumbled.

"Son, are you alright?" Charles asked, concern for his son evident in his voice.

"I'm fine, Dad."

Joe gave his friend a questioning look, but said nothing and left with Henry, Mr. Morton, and Officer Baker. Chet watched as the group disappeared into the barbershop. After about ten minutes though, Chet and Con who'd remained with him, saw no sign of the black car. However that was when the two of them got the shock of their lives when they saw two blond boys emerge from the barbershop, flanked by Officer Baker and Mr. Morton. They couldn't believe their eyes, it was like looking at twins!

Chet's jaw dropped at Henry's new blond hair. "Frank is going to go ballistic when he sees this." What, was Henry trying to turn himself into Joe now? This just couldn't be normal. Chet remembered the starry-eyed look Henry had given Joe. It was one thing to idolize someone but to actually want to be that person was borderline crazy.

Silence took over as the trio piled back into the SUV. Chet glanced at Joe. Sitting on Henry's other side, Joe's expression was hard to read. Maybe Joe didn't know what to think either. He might've felt like he was in a difficult situation Chet thought. That was when Chet realized there was something wrong with his friend; he wasn't acting like he normally did. The Joe Hardy Chet knew would not stand for what was happening; he'd lay Henry into the ground in two seconds flat. That was when Chet remembered the elder Hardy brother telling him about Joe's recent anxiety issues.

It wasn't just that though. Henry seemed to have placed a wedge between the Hardy brothers. To see his friends at odds with each other, all because of Henry, just didn't sit well with Chet. He'd known the brothers longer than any of their other friends; sure they had their occasional disagreements as siblings often did. But Frank and Joe had always managed to work things out in the past.

The simple fact that Frank did not come with Joe when they went to pick up Henry from the hospital was a surprise. Frank was always by Joe's side, and vice versa. He thought back to their conversation on heroes, if you were to ask Joe, who his hero was, his answer would be Frank.

Chet knew that Joe did idolize Frank but it wasn't in a creepy way like drawings or trying to change his appearance to look like Frank. Joe tried to emulate his brother. One example Chet could think of was that on a normal basis Joe would laugh and joke his way out of situations. But if he was confronted with a serious situation that he wasn't sure how to handle he'd look to Frank to see how he was handling it before trying to handle himself similarly. If anyone asked Frank, Chet thought the elder brother would answer the same way his younger brother would. Joe was the one Frank looked to, to help him relax, let loose and have fun. The two of them complimented each other.

Chet glanced at Henry, who had a smile across his face that made his blood boil; whatever Henry was doing to his friends was hurting them plain and simple. Chet did not want to see Joe and Frank get hurt. He really was regretting this whole thing and he needed to talk to Frank and soon…

(oooooo)

Saturday evening:

Chet was sitting on the front porch, Ginger's head in his lap as he stroked it. This had been the worst day of his life, next to losing his sister, he thought sadly. His father and friends were gathered around him each one expressing their concerns and condolences for the loss of his beloved dog. Everything was a disaster and all because of Hayden. He'd killed Duke after breaking into Chet's home and Joe was now missing as a result. God, his friend had to be okay.

"Chet, I'm so sorry about what happened to Duke," Seth Cohen expressed his sympathy for his cousin's friend. He wasn't sure what to do or say, he was new to all this. Phil had filled him in earlier on Iola's death and who Frank and Joe were, as well as everything going on between Henry and Hayden; the events that ultimately led to Duke's murder and Joe's abduction. Seth Cohen felt horrible; he was still processing everything.

Seth also felt bad for Henry being in an abusive situation. Phil had mentioned Henry's dyslexia to Seth. Seth of course, knew what that was like, he'd found ways to help himself cope with it and he was hoping that he'd get the chance to help Henry.

As for Frank and Joe Hardy, Seth hadn't yet gotten the chance to meet them, although he was looking forward to it and getting to talk to them. Phil was always telling him wild and crazy stories about his friends, the famous Hardy brothers. They were the teenage detective duo of Bayport, following in their detective father's footsteps. From the way Phil talked about them, you'd think the Hardy boys were superheroes. To Seth they sounded like cool guys and he hoped Joe would be found soon.

"Is there anything we can do for you Chet?" Phil offered, who was sitting in a chair next to his cousin.

Biff and Tony were both leaning against the porch railing. "Yeah just name it." Tony said, wanting to do anything he could to help his friend.

"We're here for you buddy." Biff commented. They all knew the tragic death of Duke would be hard on Chet, they knew how much he loved his pet and it wasn't fair, he was still grieving the loss of his sister.

"Thanks, just you guys being here means a lot." Chet finally spoke up, his voice trembling. He glanced up at his friends and asked, "Is there any word on Joe?" He never stopped stroking Ginger's head.

The gang exchanged looks, they all wanted an answer to that question as well. As one they shook their heads.

"I'm sure we'll know something soon." Charles Morton said to his son and his friends encouraging them to not to give up hope. "You know Fenton and the police are working hard to find him."

That was when Biff chimed in. "Yeah, we all know Frank will stop at nothing to find Joe."

"I just wish we knew something." Chet said worriedly.

"I think we're about to find out." Phil put in his two cents. He nodded his head at the police car that was currently pulling into the driveway. The teens all watched as Frank and Fenton, who had been on their way up to the house, stopped to meet the cruiser.

Everyone watched from the porch as Chief Collig got out of the car followed by Sam Radley and Officer Baker. Frank and Fenton approached the officers. They couldn't hear what was being said but they knew by the grim looks on the police chief's face that it wasn't good news. They watched as Frank seemed to get into a heated discussion with his father. That was when they heard something they hadn't expected. Frank exploded, "I want to know what that bastard did to my brother!"

They watched on in silence as Frank suddenly clutched at his chest, shouting. "I can feel Joe! He's scared and hurt and he needs me!" That was when Fenton pulled Frank aside and spoke to him. After that Frank seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"The news can't be good for Frank to react like that." Biff murmured as he thought of all the possibilities of things that Hayden was doing to Joe. He was mad as hell and wanted to rip Hayden apart with his bare hands.

"Well for a moment, it looked like Frank was having a heart attack or something." Seth pointed out. "I've noticed he's been grabbing his chest like that all day."

"It could mean that he's sensing Joe." Tony said simply.

"What?" Seth threw him a strange look. "How is that possible?"

"It's kind of hard to explain.' Phil saw the confusion on his cousin's face. "This is probably going to sound like something out of a science fiction novel." He paused and then started to explain as best he could. "Frank and Joe have this special connection where they can communicate through their feelings, without speaking."

"Just now you heard Frank shout that he could feel Joe and that he was scared and hurt and Joe needed him." Seth nodded to show he was listening. "Well, most likely it's true."

"Is it something like telepathy?" Seth asked. "There is a theory that telepathy is common when it comes to twins. Are Frank and Joe twins?"

"It's s-something like that." Phil nodded slowly. "And no, they're not twins; they're actually about a year apart."

"We don't really know how or why Frank and Joe can communicate the way they do." Tony added to the explanation. "And we don't really question it because about ninety nine percent of the time it turns out to be true."

"That's incredible. I don't think I've ever heard anything like this." Seth found the whole thing fascinating. Now he was really looking forward to getting to know Frank and Joe Hardy.

"We do know one thing though, Joe is alive." Biff said grinning. Everyone just looked at him.

"We don't know that for sure." Phil told him as he adjusted his glasses.

"He has to be otherwise why would Frank be sensing Joe's presence? Joe's hurt and scared that's what Frank said."

"It could very well be true." Tony piped in. "But what if what Frank is sensing is something else?"

"What are you saying Tony?" Biff asked forcefully.

"We all know they can get into some dangerous situations when they are working on cases and stuff like that and have always managed to get themselves out. However we need to realize that Frank and Joe aren't invincible. They are regular guys just like us."

Tony swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't want to bring it up but he had a feeling everyone else was thinking it too. "I know we don't want to think about it…but there could come a time when we could lose one or both of them."

"Biff, what I'm trying to say is this: for all we know, Joe could be dying. It is possible that that is what Frank is sensing. Or Joe could already be..." His voice trailed off.

"No, no, no, I refuse to believe that Joe is dead. How could you even think that?" Biff argued. Silence crept over the group as they let Tony's words sink in, none of them wanted to think of that possibility.

"Why don't you all wait and hear what Frank has to say before you go making assumptions like that?" Charles Morton suggested.

"Mr. Morton's right." Phil agreed, "Frank will tell us what's going on. Besides, whatever the outcome of all this turns out to be, Frank is going to need our help to get through this."

"Then that's what we're going to do." Biff stated, "Frank and Joe Hardy are our trusted and loyal friends. They've always been there for us, whenever we needed them; it's time for us to return the favor. And we will remain hopeful that Joe is alive, until we know otherwise."

"Okay can we move on to something else?" Tony asked as he changed the subject. "Because there's something I've got to get off my chest."

"What's that?"

"It has to do with Henry." Tony answered. They all knew it was the big elephant in the room. Everyone wanted to avoid the topic. "I don't know how are I'm supposed to feel about him?"

Tony sighed and just let the words fly out of his mouth, "I mean I was angry and still am after the way he treated us that day in the hospital. I was willing to give him a second chance and try to be friends with him because of the abuse he'd suffered with Hayden."

"I agreed to it because he's Joe's friend." He glanced over at Chet and Biff. "You guys told us about this creepy obsession he has with superheroes and Joe."

"I mean what's the deal with blonde hair? Is Henry trying to be Joe or something? If he's trying to impress us, it's not working," Tony put in sarcastically. "Besides we're very fond of the original Joe Hardy."

"That's for sure." Biff laughed, "Joe can't be replaced they broke the mold when they made him."

Tony steered back to his original topic, "Well, with what's happened recently with Hayden, now that Joe's missing it kind of puts us in an awkward position in regards to Henry, doesn't it?"

Chet suddenly spoke up. "Frank's been right all along. Henry can't be trusted."

Before anyone could respond to Chet's statement, Mrs. Morton made her way up the porch steps, her arm around Henry's shoulders.

"How's everyone doing?" she asked. "Can I fix you all something to eat? I know everyone's dinner got interrupted earlier and I know you're all tired and worried about Joe."

"Thank you Mrs. Morton but we're fine." Biff replied kindly. The other boys nodded in agreement.

"Chet, I-I'm sorry," Henry spoke up nervously.

Just hearing Henry's voice sent anger through Chet's body. "I-I'm sorry for what J-Jack did to your dog..." That was it, Chet couldn't take anymore. Without a word, he got to his feet and stormed into the house, Ginger beside him as the door slammed closed behind him.

"Chet!" Mrs. Morton called after her son, and Mr. Morton went inside after him. Chet's friends were on their feet as well, surprised at Chet's sudden departure.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset him," Henry said softly. "I was just trying to…"

"Why don't you leave him alone?" Frank interrupted him, making his way up to the porch with Fenton. He glared at Henry; it was taking everything he had to control his temper and not land several punches on the teen. "You and that bastard father of yours have done enough as it is."

"Frank!" Fenton scolded, trying to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. Chief Collig and Officer Baker had already left to go back to the police station and Sam had left for Southport. Fenton was planning on heading to the station as well but first he'd wanted to say a proper goodbye to Donna and Charles Morton. Now it looked like he'd be sticking around a bit longer, in order to deal with his son's behavior.

Frank just couldn't hold back his anger anymore. He could feel his anger rising and he narrowed his eyes at Henry. Damn, that blond hair was just making it worse! "I don't like this crazy obsession you seem to have with my brother. It's going to stop, right now!"

"When we find Joe and we will find him, you are going to stay away from him!"

"What on earth is going on out here?" Laura inquired as she and Callie came rushing out of the house.

Callie was shocked at what she was seeing; she'd never seen Frank so angry and it scared her. Frank's breathing began to get ragged and heavy as he forced the words out. Biff, Tony, Phil, and Seth were all shocked as well.

"If anything's happened to my brother, and I find that you are involved with it, I'll kill..."

"Frank, don't you finish that sentence!" Fenton ordered, holding his son back; he knew his son's emotions were running high. He leaned over and whispered into his son's ear. "Calm down. Think of Joe. He needs you. You won't be able to help him if you get yourself in trouble."

As angry as he was, Frank knew his father was right. Taking a second to cool his temper, his eyes never left Henry as his fists remained clenched at his sides. he began to calm down for his little brother's sake.

"See, I told you he hates me!" Henry quickly backed away from Frank and cowered behind Donna.

Donna wanted to believe that it was just a misunderstanding between the two of them, however, Donna had to admit she was torn between the two boys. She'd known Frank all his life, she knew all too well that he was worried sick about Joe and that his emotions were running high as a result.

Donna thought back to what Henry'd said about Frank hating him. She couldn't forget the genuine fear and anger in Henry's voice; maybe there was some truth to what he'd said. If, god forbid, something were to happen to Joe, Frank might retaliate and lash out at Henry.

Henry was part of her family now. She understood he had his issues, because of what he'd been through with his family. Donna was determined to help Henry overcome his problems and be with him every step of the way. She was going to love him like she would her own son.

"Frank, I pray that Joe will be found and that he's okay. You, Joe and Chet are good friends; we've welcomed you into our home as part of our family and our lives." She stumbled a bit over her words, "even after Iola..."

She spoke again, her voice steady now. "However, I will not tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone, and that includes you. As long as Henry stays here, you will be civil and respectful. If you can't show him that courtesy, then you can leave."

"Oh, Mrs. Morton, please I am _so_ sorry..." Frank apologized, his face reddening slightly from embarrassment. He knew his emotions were running rampant but all he could think of was Joe...and the blood they'd found...Joe was hurt...and scared and Frank was so angry and frustrated.

Fenton released Frank once he was sure he'd calmed enough and then stepped between him and Henry. There was no doubt in Fenton's mind that Frank was very capable of hurting Henry. "I'm sorry about this." He apologized to Donna on his son's behalf. "I think it would be a good idea for everyone to go home and get some rest. It's been a long and exhausting day." Fenton placed a hand on Frank's shoulder as everyone began to get up and gather their belongings.

"Fenton, everyone hold on for just a minute." Charles said as stepped out onto the porch. "Frank isn't going anywhere yet, I need him to take care of a matter regarding my son."

"Charles, what's wrong? Is Chet alright?" Donna asked anxiously.

"No, he's not. He's upset and refusing to leave his room. The only person he'll talk to is Frank." Charles glanced around at everyone, stopping and resting his gaze on Frank. "Whatever it is he says it's important."

"Very well." Donna replied. "After that, I want you all to go home." She gazed steadily at Frank, putting a protective hand on Henry's shoulder.

Henry smiled inwardly. Seeing Frank emotionally distraught like this was playing right into his hands. Messing with his mind was going to be fun.

Frank caught a glimpse of a slight glare, or was it a smile? in Henry's eyes as he brushed past him. If this kid thought he was going to play games with him, Frank thought, he has no idea what he's up against. Henry wanted to play games? Then they'd play, Frank told himself as he made his way to see Chet.

Fenton Hardy extended a hand to Chet's father. "Charles, again, I'm sorry for Frank's actions." He still felt very guilty about the whole mess. "As well as all the inconveniences we've caused."

""Thank you Fenton." Charles Morton accepted the handshake the detective was offering him. "There's no need to apologize. Frank has every right to be upset and everyone's a little high strung right now. We are all worried about Joe."

"I just hope we don't have another tragedy on our hands. Both of our families have suffered enough."


	5. Chapter 5

Hi, this is kind of a short chapter I wanted to get it post while I had the chance because of the busy Memorial day weekend holiday. So thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. Have a safe and Happy Memorial day :)

Aftermath

Chapter 5

Frank closed the front door behind the moment he walked into the house. What the hell was wrong with him? He felt like he was about to go insane. He couldn't believe how he'd acted in front of the Mortons and his friends, Callie! Oh god, what did she think of him now? He'd probably frightened her away; he wouldn't blame her if she stayed away from him from now on; hell he'd probably do the same.

Forcing his thoughts and feelings aside for now, Frank knew he had more important things to deal with right now. First was finding his brother, second was finding out what was going on with Chet. Whatever Chet had to tell him, Frank was sure it had to do with the recent outing to the barbershop.

Ascending the stairs Frank slowly made his way down the hallway. He knew Chet's room was on the right hand side across from the master bedroom. Another room was the guest room that would mostly likely be Henry's room from now on.

As he paused outside Chet's room, Frank glanced at the final bedroom, Iola's name was written on the horseshoe that hung from the door. The room was off limits to everyone, it had been since the day Iola died. Everything in it was exactly the way she'd left it.

There were certain occasions where, if the family needed to be close to her, where they'd go into the room. For Joe...well, Frank knew that his brother avoided the second floor, it was too painful of a reminder that the girl he'd once loved, was no longer around.

"Joe…" He sighed, and then suddenly a shooting pain shot through his chest causing him to lean against the door. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Chet, it's Frank."

Chet immediately opened the door, causing Frank to stumble forward. Chet managed to catch his friend before he hit the floor.

"Frank, what's wrong?" Chet asked, panic clear in his voice, when he saw Frank's pale face and his hand clutching his chest.

Chet guided his friend over to his bed. Chet sat down next to Frank with Ginger lying on the floor at their feet. She was looking up at them like she knew something was wrong.

Frank took a few breaths to collect himself, "Thanks, I'll be alright…it's just…"

"Joe isn't, that's wrong with you." Chet was almost certain of it. "We could see you from the porch; you and your dad were talking to the Chief. We could tell by your expressions that it was bad news."

"Yeah you could say that." Frank calmly replied, ignoring his friend's worried look as again he felt a pain in his chest. "The news isn't good."

He let out a sigh before quickly filling Chet in on how the police had found the black sedan, abandoned by the side of the road and the blood and hair they'd found in the trunk. He went on explaining everything surrounding Nurse Matthews and how in the morning he was going to take Biff with him to Bellevue.

"Do you think it's Joe?"

"It could very well be him." Frank ran a hand through his hair. "All I can think about is the blood and is probably Joe's...he's hurt...I can feel him."

He blocked out the pain in his chest by focusing entirely on Chet. "Chet, your dad said you had something important you wanted to tell me." He could see the anger and stress in Chet's eyes; it was an emotion that rarely got expressed.

"Does it have anything to do with the sudden stop at the barbershop? Officer Baker told us that you'd see a black car following you."

"Did you see it too?"

"Yeah I saw it." Chet replied. "We all did."

His voice grew harsher as he added, "Con didn't want us to stop, he said it wasn't safe because of that car. However, Henry was very adamant about getting his haircut. He said it was something he had to do because apparently, doing something as simple as getting a haircut wasn't permitted without his father's approval."

"Joe tried to convince him that we couldn't stay because it wasn't safe but Henry wouldn't hear it. My Dad offered to go in with him so he could pay for the cut." Chet shook his head. "I don't think Henry like that idea but when Joe said he'd go in with them, he agreed to it. Con made sure they knew to come straight back to the SUV when they were done."

"The next thing I knew, my dad, Joe and Officer Baker went inside with Henry. Con and I stayed outside."

"Five or ten minutes later there still wasn't any sign of the black car, but Con and I got the shock of our lives when we saw these two blond boys emerge from the barbershop with Dad, and Officer Baker. We couldn't believe what our eyes were seeing it was like looking at twins."

"Everyone was quiet when we all got back into the car; no one really knew what to say." Chet shook his head. "I knew you'd go ballistic when you saw Henry's new hair cut."

"And I did." Frank said sadly as he thought of the fight he and his brother had had over Henry's new hair. That was the last time he'd seen Joe before they'd stormed off in different directions. He had to find him and make things right with his brother. He prayed to God that he wouldn't be too late. Joe had to hang on until they found him and he would, wouldn't he?

"What happened after that?" Frank asked curiously. "How did Joe seem to you?"

Chet paused for a second, as he reached down to stroke Ginger's head. Looking back up at Frank, Chet continued. "Frank, I know you told me about Joe's anxiety issues. Joe was sitting on the other side of Henry; his expression was a little hard to read. I thought to myself he can't possibly be okay with this."

"That was when I realized there was something 'off' about Joe...he wasn't acting like himself. I've never seen Joe so submissive. The Joe we know wouldn't stand for this. The Joe we know would have Henry flat on the floor in two seconds flat."

Frank nodded in agreement, as he listened to his friend's explanation.

"I was under the impression that he didn't know what to make of it. I think he feels stuck in a difficult situation; he's got his loyalty to a friend that he wants to help out and his loyalty to you." Chet finished off by saying, "Frank, you've been right not to trust Henry. He is manipulative and cunning…"

"Just like Hayden." Frank concluded while processing everything Chet had told him.

Chet nodded in agreement. "I don't know his reason for dyeing his hair blond, but I think the obsession he has with Joe is turning into something dangerous. And that's why I stormed in here. I couldn't stand being around him another minute, just hearing his voice makes me angry."

"I know the feeling." Frank sighed heavily. "Thank you Chet for telling me this." He had to think about what to do next. After taking a second to consider what he was going to say next, Frank continued, his voice serious.

"You know Chet, my plan was to have you help me keep an eye on Henry and have Biff do the same with Joe. You guys have done an amazing job of that already. However, in light of what's happened with Duke and for your safety, I can't let you do anymore. I can ask my dad to find somewhere else for Henry to go if you'd like me to."

"Truthfully, I don't want him here." Chet pondered the offer for a moment, looking down at Ginger before looking back up at Frank. "I'm going to stick with our plan. You know that old saying, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? Well that's what I'm going to do."

"Chet are you sure?"

"Frank, your focus needs to be on Joe. As long as Henry is here I can keep an eye on him and maybe find out a bit more about his obsession with Joe."

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Frank asked again.

"Yes, I can. After all the kid's father murdered my dog." Chet confirmed, determined to help his friends.

"Okay, then it's all set." Frank wasn't going to trust Henry alone with Chet. "But just to be on the safe side, I'm going to ask Tony, Phil and Seth to help keep an eye on you as well, while Biff and I are in Bellevue."

"Right now I need to leave, before I wear out my welcome with your mom."

"My mom? What happened with my mom?"

"Yeah, I got into a bit of a confrontation with Henry. It got to the point where my Dad had to hold me back before I ripped into Henry. Your mom came to his defense and told me that if I can't be civil and respect Henry, that I should leave. I'm not proud of myself for the way I acted; I'm pretty embarrassed actually. I feel like I'm going crazy with my emotions all over the place."

Chet was taken aback; he'd never heard Frank talk the way he was right now. He'd always known Frank to keep himself together, he hoped his friend wasn't on the verge of a breakdown. Chet was certain that if anything happened to Joe his elder brother _would_ have an emotional breakdown and he feared it happening.

"Frank the way you're acting is okay. I mean it's understandable that your emotions are running high right now because of Joe. I know what it's like to lose someone you care about, it's the worst kind of pain, to go through, and I hope you never have to go through that."

"As for your leaving, well, that's not going to happen." Chet said, he couldn't believe everything that was happening. "You and Joe are like brothers to me. You are always welcome here. I'll talk to my mom."

"Thanks Chet. For the time being I think I better …" Frank started to get up off the bed, but fell back onto it as pain shot through his chest once again. "Ahhh!" He gasped for breath.

"Frank, I'll go get help!" Chet cried, as he tried to stay calm for his friend. He stood up but didn't get any further as Frank grabbed his arm.

"No… I'll be fine. The pain... will go away... I just need..." Frank panted between each painful breath. "Joe."


	6. Chapter 6

I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter, and for those who are following and favorites. I know this chapter has been long over do, so here is my new chapter I felt like I had to put a warning on here because there is talk of sex and rape I promise nothing to graphic, let me know what you think?

Aftermath

Chapter 6

"Frank..." Joe's head was swimming in a sea of darkness. He tried to open his eyes and succeeded before hurriedly shutting them once again, due to a splitting headache. He could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead in spite of the rest of his body feeling cold and clammy. "What's...happening to...me?"

He paused as vivid memories started to flood his mind. He found himself trapped in a small, dark room with rats crawling all over him, their sharp teeth nipping at his flesh...the metal knife in his mouth; next came images of the Mortons' stable, the blood...a man was standing over the dog's body, with a knife clutched in his hand.

 _"Hello Joseph."_

"Hayden…" A shiver ran down Joe's spine. The man in the stable had been Hayden! The blood...oh god...Duke...he'd killed Duke. Henry...he'd been on his way to warn Henry. A sharp prick on his neck and then everything had gone dark. What had happened after that? Joe could vaguely remember waking up in the trunk of a car and fighting with a masked man. His leg! The man he'd been fighting with had shot his leg! A dark haired woman...sh-she'd been planning to take the bullet out.

"No!" Joe's eyes seemed to snap open of their own accord as pain ripped through his leg _._ "Ahhhh!" He couldn't move his hands, it felt like they were above his head, tied to what Joe assumed was a headboard. He began to panic. "Wh-what...where am I? How'd I get here?"

"Its okay sweetie, Mom is here." Cindy gently soothed his forehead with a cool wet cloth.

"M-mom..." He called out as a blonde haired woman came into his view as she settled herself by his bedside. Finally, Joe's vision cleared enough to see the woman's face. His eyes widened in panic as recognition set in. "You're...not mom. You're Cindy Hayden, Henry's mom." He cried out again as he tried to move his left leg. "Ahhhh!"

"If you lie down and try to relax, your leg won't hurt as much," she told him.

"That's easy for you to say." Joe hisses in pain, tugging on the ropes to emphasize his point. "You're hands aren't tied to a headboard!"

Cindy lay a hand on Joe's forehead to get a sense of his temperature. "Carolyn, he's burning up."

"I was afraid of that." Carolyn replied as she walked up to the boy's bedside. She stuck a thermometer in Joe's mouth and glanced at her watch. A few seconds later, she pulled the thermometer out of his mouth and read it. "Damn it!" she cursed, "It's too high."

Feeling exhausted Joe stopped struggling to break free when he recognized the dark haired woman from the picture…and the Southport Gazette article from his brother's computer as Karen Marshall or better known as nurse Matthews.

Karen Marshall was the nurse the police were looking to question in regards to a patient's death. Oh dear god, was he in trouble.

She pulled down Joe's blanket in order to check the wound on his leg. "This is bad; his leg is starting to swell up."

That was when Joe realized he was in his plaid boxers. Glancing down he could see his leg was propped up with pillows. "What the hell have you done...to me?"

"We took a big risk, taking that bullet out of you. I had to remove fragments of bone as well as bullet as it had hit an artery. I managed to stop the bleeding but now you've got a high fever due to an infection."

"If the swelling doesn't go down and worse come to worse, I may have to amputate the leg." Carolyn said simply.

"No!" Joe grunted in pain as sweat poured down his face. He tried to pull his hands loose from the headboard only to feel pain shooting through his leg. "Ahhhhh!"

"Can't you give him something for the pain?" Cindy asked worriedly, looking up at her friend.

Carolyn shook her head. "I ran out of medicine a few hours ago. I'm going to need to make a run for more supplies, but it might take a few hours. I'll call Ryan and Daniel to let them know what's going on."

"You're going to have to watch him."

"Yes, of course." Cindy agreed; she could feel her motherly instincts kicking in, oh how she missed caring for her child. If Fenton Hardy thinks he can take my son away from me, I'll just take his, she thought as she looked at Joe. She was going to care for him as though he was her own.

"While I'm gone make sure his leg stays elevated with the pillows so the wound is above the heart." The nurse began listing her instructions, "Try to get his fever down and make sure he drinks plenty of water. Then find a large bowl and fill it with lukewarm water. Start sponging him down but do it slowly so he doesn't go into shock."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Cindy said getting up and leaving the room in order to get the items her friend had told her to get.

Once they were alone, Carolyn glanced down at Joe thoughtfully, starting at his feet and wandering up to his eyes. "Look at you; you're the full package, blond hair, blue eyes; handsome and muscular. Let me guess, you're the captain of the football team, the guy every girl dreams of having as her boyfriend."

She ran her fingers through his hair before touching the side of his face and asking, "How old are you seventeen, eighteen?"

"I bet you know how to sweet talk a girl. You tell her she's beautiful, that you love her...and all that other garbage, just to get into her pants." Her touch was making Joe very uncomfortable, he didn't like the way it felt. "Tell me, do you have a girlfriend? Do you treat her right? Do you make her feel special?"

"Have you ever been with a girl?" She laughed. "Oh, I bet you have."

Joe refused to answer her questions. He was used to his fellow teammates asking him that kind of questions in the locker room, they'd constantly joke about his sex life, calling him a 'ladies man' because girls were often drawn to his good looks, charm and flirtatious nature. He never answered their questions, that part of his life was private and no one's business but his own.

However they might've been surprised to know the truth; Joe hadn't had much experience when it came to girls. The only girl he'd ever had an intimate relationship with was Iola and it had been a decision that they'd both regretted rushing into. Once Iola had been killed, Joe had promised himself he'd never rush into anything again; it had been the worse pain of his young life. The only person he'd ever told was Frank; he knew it was a secret his elder brother would take to his grave.

Joe's thoughts quickly turned to that new girl at school. The beautiful Vanessa Bender was tall, slender, with long, ash-blonde hair, and gray-blue eyes. She'd moved to Bayport a few months ago, he'd been planning to ask her out before the whole Hayden nightmare started. But now, he thought to himself, asking her out was out of the question. His whole life was a mess, he couldn't even think about dating.

"Not talking, huh?" She smirked, "Let's see what it will take for you to answer." She lifted her hand and let her fingers trace invisible lines down Joe's throat and chest, slowly circling his navel before sliding her hand down to the waistline of his boxers. "Do you like the way this feels?"

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "S-stop please, I-I've never..." Shamefully he broke. There wasn't much he could do with his hands tied to the headboard and he was too exhausted from the fever to fight much. He lay there biting his bottom lip to keep from screaming in fear of what this woman had in mind. To his relief her hand didn't wander any further south; instead it slithered its way back up his chest and came to a stop right below his chin.

"Liar!" Carolyn grabbed his chin, giving the teen an icy stare. "You're a teenage boy, and teenage boys have only one thing on their minds, sex!"

"Teenage boys grow up to become predators that prey on women as if they're a piece of meat. Men are pigs, dirty, filthy pigs. Men like you make me sick. I could stop you right now before you break a girl's heart."

"That's not me! I'm not like that! Not all teenage boys grow up to become predators!" Joe jerked his face away from her grip, grunting in pain as sweat poured down his face.

"You're crazy! Just like… Hayden!" He wanted to get as far from this crazy woman as soon as was possible.

"You are so cute." Carolyn laughed sadistically. She caressed Joe's cheek and ran her fingers through his hair. "For that I've decided to give you a choice; I either take your leg or your life, it's up to you."

"I expect your answer when I come back." With that, she smiled and grabbed her purse off an end table and headed out the door.

Joe swallowed a lump in his throat. He remained absolutely still, he felt scared, humiliated, violated and alone. The strong and fearless Joe Hardy was gone. "God help me." Joe prayed as a mix of sweat and tears ran down his face.

(Oooo)

"Okay, I'm back." Joe glanced up just in time to catch Cindy walking into the room.

She was carrying a pitcher of water, and a large bowl. She had several white towels draped over her shoulder. She set the bowl on the nightstand and poured some water into it. Joe kept a wary eye on her as she began soaking the towels in the water.

"Everything's going to be alright." She glanced down and saw the tears that were running down the boy's face. "Your mother is here."

Quickly batting away the tears, Joe glared up at her, "You're not my mother. You could never be Laura Hardy; that woman does everything that a mother is supposed to do for her children. She loves us unconditionally, even when we mess up. She'd never allow her lunatic of a husband beat her son!"

Cindy ignored the boy's comment, and began humming as she wrung out a towel; she folded it into a compress and placed it on Joe's forehead. Then she took the other towels that she'd wet and started to drape them over Joe's arms and legs. Once that was done, she took the last towel and sitting beside him, began to wash Joe's chest.

"Don't… touch me! Get away from me." His body still shivered at the thought of the crazy nurse touching him, it made him very uncomfortable; he didn't like the way it felt. It made him feel embarrassed and ashamed. "I don't want you or the crazy nurse touching me."

"I'm trying to help you," she whispered. She took her wet cloth and began wiping Joe's face "We have to get that fever down before it gets worst."

"Help me like you helped your son!" He jerked his head away from her, managing to fire back, "A lot of good that did; Henry is a mess because of you and that son of a bitch Hayden! I'm so glad Henry's far away from you because you're all crazy! Just like… Hayden!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" She shouted, her face red with anger, she slapped Joe across the face. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

Joe stared up at her; that slap had stung. He needed to calm down and think, that's what Frank would tell him to do, in order to get out of the situation in which he found himself. His thoughts quickly turned to Laura. He missed his mother; he wished he were with her right now. She was probably worried sick about him.

Joe glared up at Cindy; the woman thought she was his mother. Suddenly an idea came to him; maybe he could use that against her.

"I'm sorry… M-mom. I didn't mean it." He looked up at her with innocent eyes as he began to work up some tears. "I-I'm just scared… I don't want that crazy nurse to butcher me! Please don't let me die."

His plan must've been working because Cindy's face softens as she lets a smile slide across her face. "It's okay, you're forgiven." She reached down and touched Joe's face. "You're not going to die and if you should lose your leg, I promise, I'll take good care of you."

The woman was nuts. He steered the conversation to a different topic. "What's the deal with your friend Nurse Crazy, anyway?" Joe asked in between breaths.

"Carolyn is not crazy. She's just...you have to understand her...she doesn't trust men." Cindy came to her friend's defense. "She was sixteen when her mother abandoned her. That meant she was stuck living with her stepfather and stepbrother. They were a couple of lowlifes that were all heavily into drugs and alcohol."

Cindy paused for a moment and stared off into space. Joe could see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She clenched a fist around the wet washcloth in her hand. "Whenever they'd get drunk or high, which was all the time, they'd rape her." She chocked up.

Joe could see the haunted look in the woman's eyes. "Carolyn has been my best friend for a long time, sixteen years in fact." She sobbed, "We have been through a lot together good... and bad. I love her like a sister; I'll always protect her, and she would do the same for me."

Cindy took a calming breath and plastered a smile on her face; she brushed a string of blonde hair out of Joe's eyes. There was a short pause before the woman spoke again. "In fact the four of us made a pact to always protect each other, and we did."

"What do you mean by the four of you?" Joe questioned.

"Yes, Jack, Ryan, Carolyn, and I made a pact to always protect one another." She answered proudly. "Ryan shot Carolyn's stepfather and brother, shot them both in the head before the house went up in flames."

"Jack...did the same to his father. He and Ryan hated that man; he did so much evil. Jack also set fire to my parents' house. He did it to protect me, as he always does." Cindy began again, "The despicable things my father did to me. … I hated my mother …she always knew what he was going to me and did nothing to stop him …" Her voice trailed off.

Oh god! He was in the hands of killers! He couldn't stay around these crazy people, Joe felt like he was going to be sick; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind was still trying to process this latest bombshell.

Cindy shook the thoughts out of her head; glancing down at Joe, she saw the shocked look on his face and realized she'd said too much. She quickly changed the subject. "Here, I'll get you some water." She stood up and poured some water from the pitcher into a glass.

"I'm going to untie you." She warned him. "Don't try anything, or we'll both be in trouble."

Joe nodded his agreement. He didn't protest this time; his mouth was so dry it tasted like cotton. Once Joe's arms were free, Cindy helped him sit up so he could have a drink, for which he was grateful.

Joe sipped at the water grunting. "Thanks." Then he lay back down. "You know what..." He panted as he took a deep breath in. "My mom always makes me soup when I'm sick. And I am kind of hungry..."

Cindy hesitated for a moment, and then a smile spread across her face. "Of course. I'll go heat you some up right now. First though, I have to tie you back up."

"Look... at ...me," Joe said, letting out a deep breath looking down at his bandaged leg propped up with pillows. "I'm in no shape to go...anywhere."

Again Cindy hesitated for a moment, as if thinking over what Joe'd said. "Alright, but just as a precaution, I'm going to lock the door." She answered. "Get some rest; I'll be back soon." She leaves and locks the door behind him.

"You'll be back, but I won't." Joe mumbled, "And there's no way in hell, I am letting Nurse Matthews butcher me. I'm... out ...of... here."

Joe winced in pain as he got himself up and sitting on the edge of the bed. His head was spinning, and he was nauseous. He took a minute to let his vision clear up enough, and then he began looking around the room and saw his clothes draped over a chair in the corner.

"Okay Hardy. Forget the pain, focus. Your... First...focus on your goal...get to your pants." Taking a couple deep breaths, Joe stood up, putting all his weight on his right leg.

He took one step with his right leg; pain shot up his left leg instantly. "Ahhh!" He fell to the floor panting. "Shut...up Hardy, she'll...hear you!" Joe berated himself as he took a few seconds to regain his composure.

"Let's try...this...again. Focus Hardy. Ignore...the pain." Joe took a few more deep breaths before attempting once more to get to his feet.

Again, he felt pain shooting up his left leg. "Ahhh!" He fell to the floor, panting. "I...can't...do this!" Joe cried, burying his head in his arms. "I need...Frank." This time, it was his chest that was making pain known to him. Joe knew what it was though; Frank was telling him to hang on.

"Okay...this is for you big brother..." Joe winced in pain as beads of sweat streamed down his face. "Forget the...pain. Focus...on getting...your pants."

Joe took a couple of deep breaths and started crawling slowly to the chair, focusing only on getting his pants on. Every part of his body was telling him to stop and get some sleep; Joe knew that must mean his fever was getting worse.

"Frank...I'm coming," Joe kept this mantra up in his mind, not stopping until he'd reached the chair his clothes were lying on. "Yes, my pants!"

Joe stood up, putting all his weight on his right leg. Taking a step he could feel the pain of his left leg. Holding on to the chair, Joe used it as support to get himself sitting down, pulling his pants on, cursing himself with every move he made.

Exhausted, Joe was finally dressed in his bloodstained pants and shirt, and slipping on his shoes.

"Okay Hardy...your second mission...get to the door." He panted and wiped the sweat off his face. He looked straight ahead, fixing his gaze on the door. "On the count of three. One...two...three!" He winced as he stood up and started to slowly make his way to the door.

Almost there, keep going, that's it Hardy...just a few more steps." Joe chanted to himself. He kept going, using the chair as a walker, finally reaching his goal. "Yes!"

Joe pulled hard on the handle. "It's locked! Damn! I forgot she locked it." Joe pressed his head against the door as he caught his breath. Tears and sweat running down his face, Joe pleaded with himself. "Please big brother... help ...me. I'm scared and I don't know what to do."

He started thinking about the fight he'd had with his brother over Henry's new haircut. That was the last time he'd seen Frank, right before they'd stormed off in different directions. He had to make things right with Frank. "God… if I don't make it out of this, please let my brother know that I love him and I'm sorry."

Joe wiped the tears and sweat off of his face, before glancing down at his black and white running shoes. They were the ones Frank and Phil had had made especially for him. They were the ones with the concealed lock pick!

He carefully slipped off his left shoe, cursing in pain as he picked it up. Opening the tiny compartment, he pulled out the small metal tool. "Yes, my...lock...p-pick!"

"Thank y-you... big brother!"

Joe wasted no time in working his magic on the lock. "Come on, come on!" He chanted. Finally, the handle moved with a loud click, the door opening to freedom.

However his celebration was short lived as he came face to face with Ryan Hayden who was standing in the doorway. "Where do you think you're going?" Ryan Hayden smiled smugly at Joe. There was nothing but malice in the man's eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long awaited update, my computer decided to have issues now that it's fix I'm back. Once again I'd like to thank Ritu, Candylou, drumboy 100, Caranth, Highflyer, Cherylann Rivers, and t4swp, and thank you to those, for Following and Favorites. And elven buddy my beta reader you are awesome :)**

 **Here's my new chapter hope you like**

 ***There is some violence and strong language***

Aftermath Chapter 7

Joe stood dumbstruck at the sight of Hayden's younger brother. A part of him was hoping that he was having a nightmare or that maybe he was delirious from the fever and was hallucinating. Yes, that had to be it. He was going to start screaming and at any moment, Frank would come rushing into his room to wake him up. But no, he was fully awake and this really was happening; Ryan Hayden, his former principal really was standing in front of him, poised in the doorway.

"You don't look so good." Ryan glanced down at Joe's bloodstained pants. He brought his eyes back up and noticed the beads of sweat streaming down the boy's pale face, his body swaying as if he was about to collapse. "Perhaps you should stay and rest awhile."

Joe winced in pain and started to slowly back away as the tall man pushed his way into the room. His left leg was on fire and he wanted to sleep more than anything but that was not going to happen. He snapped out of his daze and fired back, "No! I'm getting… the hell out… of here!"

He threw a punch to Ryan's jaw. Ryan however, had anticipated the punch and taking advantage of the boy's weak and slow state, aimed a hard kick to the boy's injured left leg.

Joe fell to the floor grabbing at his swollen leg screaming. "Ahhhh!"

"Nice try, kid. You're not going anywhere." Ryan's face twisted into a snarl as he towered over the younger Hardy boy.

Joe wiped the sweat off his face and glared at the older man. Just then, Cindy came running back into the bedroom and saw Joe on the floor. "What are you doing out of bed?" Her eyes widened in surprise when she finally noticed her brother in law standing there. "Ryan! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be under house arrest back in Bayport!"

"I was." Ryan replied dryly. "Until I received an interesting phone call from Carolyn this evening saying that you've mucked up my brother's plan." He shook his head and huffed wearily. "So I had no other choice but to leave that god forsaken town in order to come to New Haven, to this wonderful cabin in order to take charge and see Jack's plan through."

"Daniel, that little bastard, he's already in deep shit for shooting Hardy's kid. He'd have better do his job and keep Jack out of prison. But, in any case, I'll let Jack deal with him."

"How did you get past the police officers that were guarding you?" she asked softly. She stopped herself then, knowing that she was in trouble.

"Let's just say my house suddenly went up in flames with two officers in it. It was a bad way for them to go." Ryan simply answered. Joe's eyes widened at hearing this.

"Now let's talk about you Cindy. I believe Carolyn left you in charge of watching Hardy's kid." Ryan looked down at Joe then back up at Cindy. "He's the key to Jack's freedom!" He roared aiming another hard kick to Joe's injured left leg. "And you almost let him escape out the door!"

"Ahhhh!" Joe screamed and cursed; holding his leg as he lay on the floor catching his breath. He looked up at the former principal in confusion. How was he the key to Hayden's freedom?

"Ryan, I-I swear," Cindy's face paled as she stumbled over her words. "I only left the room for a minute so I could get him something to eat. I-I untied him because I figured he was too sick and injured to go anywhere. I thought it'd be okay to just lock the door, I don't know how he..."

"How did you unlock the door?" She demanded, glaring daggers at Joe.

"Could it be with this?" Ryan answered picking up Joe's lock pick off the floor before Joe could say a word.

"Stupid kid, you picked the lock!" Cindy cried.

"Yes… I did!" Joe winced in pain as he struggled to sit up on the floor. "I'll die before… I let Nurse Crazy butcher me!"

Truthfully, he didn't know if he was going to make it out of this, his swollen leg hurt like hell and he was exhausted from the fever. Somehow, he had to find the strength and fight to stay alive.

He had to find a phone or some other way to get help. He knew his father and brother wouldn't give up looking for him; heck his father probably had every law enforcement officer in the country out looking for him. He had to figure out exactly where he was. He did know they were in some cabin somewhere in New Haven. New Haven had to be in Connecticut it was about a three-hour drive from here to Bayport.

Joe quickly scanned the bedroom. The walls had dark brown paneling covered them as well as pictures on the walls of people he didn't know.

Who did this cabin belong to? Were they at a campground or in a wooded area? And, who was this Daniel person, Ryan had mentioned? Was he the man who'd been wearing the mask, that had shot him? Ryan did say he received a call from Nurse Crazy this evening, so it had to be nighttime, but it was hard to tell, with the curtains covering the windows.

More questions began swirling around in his head. How was he the key to Hayden's freedom? Why had they kidnapped him? What was Hayden doing in the Morton's stable, why did he kill the family dog…how did he even get to the farm in the first place? Was Henry safe...was everyone else safe?

Then suddenly he felt that pain in his chest again. Clutching his hand to it, he wondered what was going on, he couldn't explain the feeling, but he knew it had to do with his brother. Something was wrong with Frank. Was Frank in danger? Was he sick? Now Joe was more determined than ever to fight to stay alive and get out of this place. He had no choice, Frank needed him, it was just something that he had to do. I'm coming big brother. I'll find a way to get to you.

Joe wiped the sweat off of his face and looked up at his captors. "Nothing's gonna stop me from... trying to get away from you crazy people." He stated evenly. "I'm not afraid of any of you. I'll testify in front of a judge and jury; I'll tell them everything and send all your sorry asses to prison."

"You're crazy just like your brother! I know what you've done." He looked right at Ryan and hissed, "You killed those officers and set your house on fire, just like you murdered your own father!"

Ryan just looked at Joe, blinking. "How do you know…?" Then as if someone had flipped a switch, he whirled around to face Cindy.

"You bitch! You told him! How could you be so stupid? I don't know what my brother ever saw in you! You are useless. Your kid couldn't keep his damn mouth shut either!"

Joe watched as the man's face went from deep red to near purple with rage. For a split second, Joe thought he was looking into the eyes of the man's brother, Jack. At that thought, of the big man triggered his anxiety and his breathing grew heavier. He placed a trembling hand on his lip, the one, which had been, bandaged not all that long ago.

"My father got what he deserved for beating the shit out of us. No sons of his were going to be weak and stupid!" Ryan said through clenched teeth as he seethed. "Little did he know that putting a bullet through his skull was the smartest thing Jack ever did. You should have seen the joy on our faces when we watched our house burn to the ground, knowing we'd sent John Sr. straight to hell."

"I'll do my brother a favor and get rid of you." He took a menacing step towards his sister in-law. "You are going to join dear old dad."

"R-Ryan… I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean it. Please. I-I'm sorry. I love Jack; I'll do anything… please." Cindy pleaded and started to back away from him until her back was against the wall.

Joe saw the genuine fear in the woman's eyes and suddenly felt his fear melt into rage. Even though he didn't want anything to do with this woman there was no way in hell he was going to sit back and let a man abuse a woman, especially when he had the power to stop it.

"Your apologies mean nothing to me." Ryan hissed, raising his fist, ready to strike.

Cindy just stood there trembling. She closed her eyes as she waited for the strike, she'd been through so much with Jack; there was no use in fighting it.

"Leave her alone!"

"What the hell…" Ryan whirled around in time to see a blond blur hurtling towards him, causing him to lose his balance and fall back, resulting in him hitting his head on the end table and go crashing to the floor, knocking him out cold.

Joe stood there taking in deep steady breaths as he pulled himself together. That little stunt had sapped the strength right out of him, intensifying the pain in his leg making him feel like he was going to pass out. He used his shirtsleeve to wipe the sweat off of his face. Looking up at Cindy, he saw that while she was breathing heavily too she also looked a bit shocked and relieved at the situation they were now in.

"I-I can't believe you did that, as sick as you are." She managed her voice unsteady. She nodded at her brother-in-law lying on the floor. "I-Is he dead?"

Joe glanced down at the younger Hayden brother. He placed two fingers at the pulse point on the former principal's neck. "He's alive."

"Oh my god...when he wakes up...we're both in trouble..." Cindy crumbled to the floor, her legs giving out as she buried her face in her hands and cried. "If Carolyn and Jack find out about this..."

Joe couldn't help but feel sorry for her; she'd been a victim of Hayden's abuse for so long. Maybe deep down she really did love Henry, the way she'd been taking care of him, treating him like he was her son. Maybe he could convince her to help him.

"There is another option." Joe crawled over to Cindy. He took a deep breath and slowly made his suggestion. "You could tie Ryan up with the rope that was used to tie me up, and call the police."

"What?" She finally looked up at Joe in tears. "I-I can't do that."

"Well, why not?"

"Ryan is Carolyn's boyfriend...they've been together since high school, he's the only man she trusts because he saved her life. He's Jack's little brother...you don't hurt his little brother... we made a pact to protect each other."

"I know it's hard for you to believe, but I do love Jack. He's my husband, I've been with him for sixteen years; he's my son's father. He's always made me feel protected. We are a family…the way it's supposed to be." Cindy sobbed, "And we will be together again."

She touched the faded bruise on her cheek. "It's my fault; I broke our pact when I told you about what we did."

Joe paused for a moment in order to think of the best way to respond. "It seems to me like you're getting the raw end of the deal. Who's protecting you? I mean if the people you call family, that you love so much, loved you just as much, they wouldn't hurt you the way they do." Joe winced as more sweat streamed down his face. "Do you really want to be with a man who beats you and treats you like shit? You deserve better than that and so does your son."

Cindy remained silent so Joe decided to try a different approach. "You said you love Jack, so what about Henry? You love your son; don't you want him back in your life?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Which part?"

"Both, I love my son and I want him back in my life."

"Okay...so prove it. Tie… Ryan up… and call the… police."

"I-I can't."

Joe knew that she was scared to take that big of a step. He'd tried his best to get through to her but there was nothing else he could do. The ball was in her court now. Joe just looked at her and huffed out a breath. "Fine, if that's the kind of life you want… then more power to you."

He said simply. "My parents are high school sweethearts too… after they graduated from college they were married and a few years after that they had Frank and me. My family isn't perfect by any means. We do have our share of disagreements and arguments but we always work things out in the end."

"And I have never once seen my father hit my mother or say anything hateful to her. They love and respect each other. When disciplining my brother and me they've never raised a hand to us."

"Frank, he's not just my older brother, he's also my best friend, and I'm his. We're very protective of each other." He put his hand to his chest in a gesture that was becoming very familiar to him. "Something's wrong with Frank. I can feel him; he's either sick or in danger. I have to get home so I can find him."

Cindy whispered back. "You'll never make it back on your own given the shape you're in."

"Then...help me." All at once Joe started to feel sick and like he was about to pass out. "Hurry up, get t-the rope...T-tie him up."

Suddenly the sound of a loud moan brought Ryan back to their attention. Joe and Cindy both looked down to see Ryan beginning to stir.

"Make a decision...he's waking..." Joe nodded in Ryan Hayden's direction. His words began to slur. "You'll...be on your...own to deal with him. And I...won't be here to...help you." He winced again. "And I'm certainly not sticking around so that…Nurse Crazy can butcher me."

Cindy hesitated for a moment. She briefly thought of Henry. She remembered the day he'd been born; a nurse had placed her newborn son in her arms, he'd been this tiny little thing, looking up at her with these big blue eyes. She did love him and missed him very much. She looked over at Joe, he reminded her of Henry; although Joe was older, they both had the same blue eyes.

She'd vowed to take care of him like he was her own son. And as sick as he was, he'd saved her life. This was her chance to save his; after all, if this was a chance for her to get Henry back, she had to take it.

"Okay, for Henry, I'll help you." She said finally.

"T-thank you." Joe once again wiped the sweat off of his face. Finally, everything was moving in the right direction. He'd be with his family again soon. He'd be with Frank again, soon. Then he realized she hadn't moved. "Why…aren't you getting the rope?"

Cindy had a different idea in mind. She reached over and pulled the car keys out of Ryan's jean pocket. "Come on we're leaving." She said putting an arm around Joe's shoulders. Another moan from Ryan brought them to their attention.

"W-what…no tie him...up. Call for… help." Joe gasped in pain pulling away from her. This wasn't what he wanted…he was about to pass out from the fever. If he was going to die, it was not going to be like this. He wanted to be with his family, he wanted to see their faces. He wanted to tell them he loved them, one last time. "I need… my brother."

Then Joe felt Cindy gently touching the side of his face, wiping away the sweat and tears. "I need you to trust me."

Joe just looked into her eyes. He didn't know what it was but something was telling him to trust her. "Okay," he agreed. He had no other choice; he was at her mercy.

Ryan began to stir again, his head started moving. His moaning grew louder.

"We have to go now." She insisted.

Grunting and cursing in pain, Joe allowed Cindy to help him to his feet and together the two walked out of the cabin. Soon Joe found himself lying in the backseat of a car. Finally, the exhaustion from the fever took over and he closed his eyes, giving in to the darkness as Cindy drove away into the night.

(Oooo)

As awareness finally came back to him, Ryan Hayden slowly got to his feet. He cursed under his breath, as a wave of dizziness came over him. He held onto a dresser for support. Quickly shaking off the dizziness, he bit his lip, forcing himself to focus.

He could hear the sound of a car engine starting up. Ryan staggered over to the window and pulled back the curtain, just in time to see the taillights of his car driving off into the night.

He patted the pocket of his jeans discovering his keys were gone. "Damn it!"

Finally getting himself together, Ryan pulled the top drawer of the dresser open and riffled through it until his hand closed around a cell phone. He started dialing a number. Within seconds, a familiar voice burst from the end of the line.

"Hello."

"Carolyn… "

"Ryan baby...where are you?"

'Daniel's… cabin."

"You're at the cabin." She said hurriedly, at the other end of the line." How did you…"

"I'll explain it to you when you get here. Where are you now?"

"I'm heading into town to pick up some medical supplies for the Hardy kid. Why? What's happened?"

Ignoring the throbbing pain in the back of his head, Ryan said fuming, "Cindy that bitch, told Joe Hardy everything. The kid knocked me out and took off with Cindy in my car…"

"Oh my god, are you okay!?"

"I'm fine…" Ryan brought his free hand up to the back of his head. "It'll take more than a little bump to the head to stop me… Now forget about the supplies … hurry up and get your ass back to the cabin. We have to find them before Joe Hardy talks to the police."

"Okay…I'm about ten minutes away." She told him. "It won't be hard to find them. The Hardy kid is in need of serious medical attention. If he doesn't stay off that swollen leg, that and the fever alone could kill him."

"If I know Cindy she'll go with her motherly instincts and help him and try to take him to a hospital or clinic. She'll probably try to pass him off as her son, that's what she wanted to do in the first place, before I took the bullet out of his leg, but I told her it'd be too risky, because the police were looking for us."

"Well if the fever or the swollen leg doesn't kill Joe Hardy I will!" Ryan exclaimed as he threw the phone against the wall, shattering it into millions of pieces. The expression on his face was stone cold as the glint of murder came back into his eyes.

"For you, Jack, I will kill them!"


	8. Chapter 8

I am so sorry for taking so long in updating, thank you to everyone for reading, reviews, favorites, and following. Here's my new chapter hope you like it :)

Aftermath Chapter 8

At the Bayport Police Station Con sat nervously next to Fenton Hardy in the Chief's office. He felt so guilty about his part in the newly developed situation; he could barely look Fenton Hardy in the eye.

Fenton and Chief Collig were busy bringing Con up to date on their situation. They'd found a black sedan abandoned by the side of the road; Nurse Matthews, a woman who fit Karen Daniels' description, was a nurse who they suspected had set the fire at the Bellevue hospital, along with another woman who they suspected was Hayden's wife; Hayden's vanishing act during the evacuation due to the fire. They were certain there was more than one person involved in the whole thing.

In reality though, the Chief did most of the explaining; Fenton had barely said two words to the officers.

"A strand of blond hair as well as a bloodstain were found in the trunk of the car." The chief continued his explanation. "Somehow, Hayden found his way to the Morton farm and broke into their house where he then proceeded to use hamburger meat to lure the dog out to the stable where the poor animal was then killed. We assume that Joe stumbled across him while he was doing this and was abducted as a result."

Con stole a quick glance at Fenton; he really couldn't blame his friend for being angry with him, his son's life was in danger and all because of his careless mistake. The officer felt sick to his stomach; he'd never forgive himself if the unthinkable happened to Joe.

"Karen Daniels also happens to fit the description of both Nurse Matthews and Karen Marshall. She is also the nurse wanted by the Southport police regarding Duncan Edwards's death. Sam Radley is checking out that lead as we speak. This woman could be our key to finding Joe." The police chief held up a picture of the nurse in question, showing it to the officer.

Putting the picture of the nurse down, he picked up another photo; this one of a black sedan. "I have to ask Riley, was this the car you saw following you?"

Con shifted his attention back to the chief and studied the photos in front of him, "Yes, that's the same car that I saw following us." He sighed, "This is my fault I should've never agreed to let Henry get his hair cut. I let my own personal feelings get in the way. I felt sorry for the kid because of the abuse he endured from Hayden."

"Officer Baker shouldn't be reprimanded for this." Con shook his head. "He's just a rookie following orders like I should've done." He stabbed a finger to his chest. "Of the two of us, I'm the senior officer; it was my call to make. I disobeyed your orders and I fully accept the consequences, whatever they may turn out to be." He finished and sat back in his chair, waiting for the chewing out he knew he deserved.

To his surprise, the chief just leaned back in his chair, looking at him, not saying a word. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke.

"Chief, aren't you going to chew me out?" Con asked breaking the awkward silence.

"You actually want me to?" Chief Collig raised an eyebrow at the officer's question. The Bayport police chief had a temper and was known to chew out his officers on occasion. "From what I hear around the station, you guys would rather deal with an angry pitbull than deal with me."

He was a good, fair and honest man who respected his officers and they reciprocated. However he ran his department with leadership, order and discipline. There were two things he wouldn't tolerate under any circumstances; an officer disregarding his orders and showing disrespect of any kind to the badge.

"Well, yeah." Con murmured as he thought about it. "It would make me feel a bit better. Besides, I need to be made an example to the department; you wouldn't want any of the others to think you're showing any favoritism."

"We wouldn't want that now would we?" The Chief replied evenly.

"No sir."

The Chief leaned forward, and took a deep breath, "What the hell is wrong with you, Riley! You are a damn good cop, one of the best I have. Up until this incident you've been loyal and dedicated to the badge you wear!" He shouted, face red with anger. "You can be damned sure there will be consequences for disobeying your orders!"

He took a deep, calming breath as he leaned back in his chair. "There, feel better?"

Con swallowed the lump in his throat, "Yeah. He did feel a little better, although the fact that Joe was missing didn't help his guilt go away. "I guess I can expect a suspension out of this."

"Yes, which is something I'd hate to do. Your willingness to take the full heat of this matter for Baker just shows your remarkable character. That's what makes the decision I have to make so hard."

"Whatever you think is best sir."

The Chief took a breath to calm down; as angry as he was with the officer; he was trying his best to handle it in a professional manner. He paused for a moment, rubbing his chin as he made his decision.

"You know what, there won't be a suspension." He proposed another option. "Instead you're taking a leave of absence."

"Sir?"

"In other words, you're taking a vacation. Go wherever or do whatever you want; go to beach or fishing if you want to. I don't want to see you here in the station for the next 23 days. Is that clear?"

Con slowly shook his head. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't need…"

"Riley," The Chief cut him off. He huffed. "I meant what I said; you are a damn good, loyal cop. You've been dedicated to the job for over twenty years now, it truly is commendable. But this incident is telling me that you're overworked; you don't take vacations as you should and you take every chance you can to work overtime. You're even here on your days off; you eat, sleep and breath cop, you don't have a personal life."

"You need this time off. So take it."

Con took a moment to think the chief's offer over. "Alright, I'll take the time off but could it wait? I'd like to help find Joe." He threw another quick glance in Fenton's direction, the angry expression was still on his face and his silence was making the officer uncomfortable. "I don't think I'd be able to relax while he's missing."

The telephone on the desk began to ring, making its presence felt. "We'll discuss it later." The chief cleared his throat as he picked up the phone. "Collig, here. Yes, okay. Thank you."

Chief hung up the telephone and looked at Fenton. "The forensics report just came back confirming what we suspected." He cleared his throat again. "The blood as well as the blond hair did…um...does in fact belong to Joe. The dog's blood was the only blood on the knife though, strangely enough."

"I guess this brings us to our next set of questions. If Joe's blood was not on the knife then how did it end up in the trunk? Where did the blood come from and how bad is Joe hurt?" Fenton grumbled, as he brought himself back into the conversation. He glanced at it his watch for the umpteenth time; it was now 11 pm. Laura was probably at home, worrying herself sick over their missing son all while trying to sleep.

And if things weren't already bad enough, their eldest son wasn't helping matters either. Frank was still dealing with Hayden's abuse and Henry's obsession with Joe, which Fenton made a note to himself, he had yet to get into. On top of that there was his graduation and move to Princeton coming up. To have all that on a person, Fenton knew, was just too much.

Frank had scared the hell out of everyone including his parents when he'd stepped out of the Morton's house, Chet behind him, a hand clutched to his chest, it had been obvious he was in pain.

Of course, Frank insisted that he was fine and that he was just tired, and that he needed to take his mother and Callie home. Fenton knew part of that was true, but Frank was far from fine. He knew his oldest son was worrying himself sick over Joe, but there was something else going on with him.

He thought of Frank's sudden and uncharacteristic outburst: "I can feel Joe! He's hurt and scared and he needs me!" Fenton had only pulled his son aside to calm him down; he'd never questioned what his son was feeling, as he and Laura both knew what it meant. They'd always known about their sons' special connection, something they'd had even as children, though they didn't understand it.

Fenton wasn't sure if he believed in the spiritual or supernatural, if that's what you'd even call it, but he did believe his sons and their ability to sense when their brother was in trouble. Frank and Joe were soul mates; they were each other's strength. If one was separated from his brother due to force or illness, their strength would start to weaken.

He had no doubt that Joe's disappearance was somehow affecting Frank's health. Fenton had this inkling of fear, nudging him in the back of his mind. If, God forbid, they didn't find Joe soon, then Frank's health would start to deteriorate. His mind flashed back to the blood they'd found. He would lose not one, but both of them, if time ran out before they found his youngest. He felt a tear run down his face as he thought about his children.

Thankfully, Biff Hooper had stepped in and offered to drive them home in Frank and Joe's van, which Frank had agreed to let him do. Biff would be staying the night at their home so that he and Frank could head to Bellevue in the morning. Fenton wasn't so sure if that was a good idea. But he'd have to deal with that later. Right now his top priority was to find Joe.

Switching mental gears, the elder Hardy rubbed his tired eyes. His body was begging him to go home and get some sleep, which he refused to do. He couldn't sleep when his youngest child was missing; he had to get his family back together first.

Another disturbing thought entered his mind. It was something he was hoping to avoid but he couldn't ignore the signs any longer. He was starting to see the signs in Frank and he'd definitely already started to see it in Joe with his panic attacks and nightmares...PTSD.

What if by some miracle, they did find Joe alive? He'd heal, physically, from whatever injuries he had, but mentally it was a completely different ball game. What kind of state would he be in mentally? The face of Fredrick Hardy, Fenton's father, suddenly crystallized in his mind... he could still hear the gunshots...see the blood on the walls, his body completely still on the floor. Fenton's memory of it was so sharp it was as though the incident had happened yesterday…

"Fenton, are you alright?" The sound of the chief's voice jolted Fenton back into the present. He looked back at the officers, could see the concern clear on their faces. He composed himself quickly, all while saying nothing.

"I'm sorry; I know how hard this is on you." The Chief noted the detective's pale face and heavy breathing. It was a rare thing to see Fenton Hardy like this.

He couldn't help but feel pity for the poor man sitting in front of him; he could only imagine the mix of emotions swirling deep inside him, while he fought to stay in control. Refusing to let anyone see him break down, while doing his very best to put up a brave front for his family. The chief had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before those emotions came exploding out, god help the person on the receiving end when it happened.

"I really am, truly sorry." Con ran a hand nervously through his hair. "I mean it; I'll do whatever I can in order to help find Joe."

"Save your apologies, I don't want them." Fenton bluntly replied. He was still fuming over what had happened at the barbershop. But something else, that had only happened earlier today, also added fuel to his fury...

(OOOO)

Earlier around 9 pm:

In the interrogation room, Jack Hayden was sitting at the table wearing an orange jumpsuit, his wrists handcuffed to the table in front of him, his lawyer at his side.

The hotshot lawyer, Daniel Bartend, was quickly becoming a thorn in Fenton's side; he behaved more arrogantly and youngish than a lawyer should, in Fenton's opinion. He'd come waltzing into the station as though he owned the place wearing an expensive navy suit and shiny black shoes, a briefcase in his hand. His sandy blonde hair was slicked back and he wore an arrogant smile; the only thing that stood out, was a bandage over the bridge of his nose, which according to him was the result of an accident.

Fenton and the chief spent almost two hours questioning the former teacher. After all, the big, burly man was at the center of the entire nightmare. They questioned him on everything; what he was doing at the Morton farm, who'd set the fire and helped him break out of the Bellevue hospital and of course, his abusing his son and former students, which included both Frank and Joe.

Hayden refused to answer of their questions, keeping his head down and mouth shut, never making eye contact. Bartend would answer all questions for his client with a curt, "No comment."

Finally, they got to the big question: where was Joe Hardy? However, before Fenton or Chief Collig could get their answer, Hayden decided to have one of his 'breakdowns'.

He gave everyone one hell of a convincing performance. The man again acted like some distraught crazy person and began wailing with actual tears running down his face. "I don't know why I do these things! It's all in my head...I'm going crazy! It's all my father's fault; he used to beat the shit out of me...he made me like this! He made me into the monster that I am!"

Then with a big finish, Hayden had threatened to kill himself and started banging his head repeatedly on the table leaving a huge, bloody gash across his forehead. "Oh God... I love my son...I never meant to hurt...Henry! Why'd I hurt him?! I'm so...sorry...I just want...Oh God...I want to die!"

Bartend immediately halted the interrogation and demanded medical attention for Hayden. He claimed that his client did in fact, have a mental illness and that he had documentation to prove it, which he pulled out of his briefcase and handed it to Chief Collig.

It took Bartend, Chief Collig and several officers to stop him from bashing his head in. Fenton just stood by watching the scene in front of him. He wasn't buying any of it. He was livid. They were no closer to finding Joe. Shamefully, a part of him was hoping that Hayden would succeed in killing himself as it would make Fenton's job much easier. But then, he reminded himself, everything he'd taught his sons about justice would be for nothing. All credibility would go out the window.

Chief Collig of course, had to comply and take the whole matter seriously. Hayden was given medical treatment for his forehead and taken back to his cell, heavily guarded.

Chief Collig handed the document to Fenton. "It is authentic. It does state that Hayden is mentally ill..." Fenton just handed the document back to the chief before he'd finished speaking, and stormed out of the room. This was hitting too close to home for him…

(OOOO)

"We are doing our best to find him." Chief Collig broke Fenton out of his thoughts. "I have officers around the clock looking for him; every precinct along the East Coast has a description of Joe. We've notified every hospital and clinic in the state, they are all on the lookout for both Nurse Matthews and Cindy Hayden."

"And still we have heard nothing." Fenton asked bluntly. "Do you realize what time it is?" He tapped his watch, not waiting for an answer. "It's 11 pm, which means we're approaching the twenty four hour mark. We all know that the longer Joe is missing, the chances of finding him alive get slimmer and slimmer and given the fact that he could be bleeding to death, kind of adds to the urgency of finding him, don't you think?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Make Hayden talk."

"I can't! The man refuses to talk!" The Chief fired back, stabbing a finger towards the door. "You saw him go postal in the interrogation room, bashing his brains out all over the table!"

"It's all an act." Fenton countered evenly. "The man is a sociopath. He knows how to manipulate the situation. He's playing the victim to avoid prosecution".

"I have to take this seriously."

"That bastard knows where Joe is. If your department can't get me the answers I need, then I'll get them myself." Fenton Hardy got to his feet and leaned over the chief's desk, planting the palms of his hands down, in order to meet Chief Collig at eye level. "If I have to I'll beat it out of Hayden, because that's the way I'm feeling right now."

The chief had to bit his tongue to force himself to stay calm. He respected Fenton Hardy very much and understood that the man had a lot on his plate, but even so, he was beginning to lose his patience.

Chief Collig and Con Riley were both in shock at the Detective's bluntness; this was way out of character for him. Something was definitely going on. Fenton's sudden departure from the interrogation room still had the chief puzzled.

"I wouldn't if I were you. In fact I think it would be in your best interest if you would stay away from my client completely." Everyone looked up to see Daniel Bartend standing in the doorway holding his briefcase at his side. He straightened out his tie. "Or I will have no choice, but to take legal action."

"Given the fact that you're so emotionally involved in the case, I really don't think you should be working it. After all, that is why, in most cases, doctors aren't allowed to operate on their family members; it could lead to major problems. I would recommend you let the Chief and his department do their job."

Bartend continued as he made his way into the room. "Detective Hardy, I know who you are; I've done my research and I have to say your reputation as a detective is outstanding. You have an amazing talent for crime solving. Many of your cases have made it to national and international headlines."

"Your boys as well have made headlines as the 'young teenage investigators following in the Great Detective's foot steps." Bartend set his briefcase down on the desk and continued speaking directly to Fenton. "Knowing this as I do, I bet you also have a knack for throwing your weight around here. Just because your son is missing, you think you can just waltz in here and bully these fine officers into doing your will."

"Bullying? That's what you think this is? After all your client has done, you're going to stand there and accuse me of bullying? Hayden abused several children including his own, as well as mine." Fenton stood up to better face the man. He glared at the young lawyer. "Your client was found at the scene of the crime, at the Morton farm in their stable, holding a bloody knife with the animal he killed beside him."

Chief Collig caught the flash of anger ignited in the detective's eyes. He and Con were both on the edge of their seats, their hands clenched on their armrests, ready to intervene if things got ugly.

"You think I'm emotionally involved in this? Damn right I am!" Fenton couldn't take the pressure anymore; he just exploded. "Joe's wallet was found in the stable, the last place he was before he went missing. We now have it confirmed that it was his blood that was found in the trunk of the car we located two miles away from the Morton farm. I don't know how bad he's hurt. For all I know he could be bleeding to death!"

"Let's get something straight," Fenton took a step forward so he was nose to nose with Bartend, pure anger gleaming in his eyes. "I don't give a damn about my reputation or my job. If it means getting my kid back in one piece, I'll gladly give it up. My family comes first and I take it very personally if they are harmed in any way."

Con Riley and Chief Collig shifted their gazes back to Bartend; for a second they could have sworn they'd saw the young lawyer flinch.

Bartend just looked at Fenton and said nothing. He was never going to find out the truth, he was going to make damn sure of it. He touched the bandage on his nose as he flashed back… "This was not my fault! You were supposed to sedate him! He woke up right as we were putting him in the other car." He stabbed a finger in Joe's direction. "He put up a good fight, nearly broke my nose. I was desperate so I pulled the gun out and shot him in the leg to stop him…"

"You idiot, this better not come back to bite me in the ass!" Hayden had threatened after Bartend had relayed that he'd shot Joe Hardy. "If I go to prison because of you, your career won't be the only thing you'll lose!"

As long as Hayden kept up his insanity routine, they were home free. With that, Bartend quickly snapped out of his thoughts, replying to Fenton, a smirk of pure arrogance on his face. "You just proved my point Detective. Stay away from my client or I'll be taking legal action. Go home to be with your family and let the police do their job." He turned to Chief Collig.

"And Chief Collig, if it happens that Detective Hardy interferes in this case, a lawsuit will be filed against the Bayport Police Department."

Fenton took a deep breath in order to calm down and slowly backed away, keeping his angry eyes locked on Bartend. "If you've thoroughly done your research on me, then you should know that I don't give up on a case, until the job is done."

"I will find the answers to what happened to my son. If he is d-dead, I will get the person responsible. I will fight to get justice for everyone that Hayden has hurt. I don't buy his mental illness crap. He will pay for his crimes. I promise you that."

Chief Collig cleared his throat and stood up. "This is my department, of which I am in charge; if anyone here is going to give orders it'll be me."

"Fenton, you and your boys have always been there whenever we've needed you. I understand you've got a lot going on, so with that being said, for the time being, you need to go home to be with Laura and Frank." He continued, sincerity clear in his voice. "We've made a few mistakes, but we will fix them. I promise you, we are here for you and your family; we won't give up, we will find Joe."

Chief Collig did not like this young lawyer either and he certainly did not like someone threatening his department. He turned to face Bartend and firmly stated, "As for you, Mr. Bartend, don't think you can bring your arrogant ass in here and make threats towards my department."

Hayden is securely locked in his cell and is being heavily guarded by my officers. He has a court appearance scheduled for Monday morning at 8 o'clock sharp; perhaps we'll get the answers we need then."

"Chief!" Officer Baker came rushing into the office grabbing everyone's attention.

"What is it Baker?"

The officer answered breathlessly, "A call just came in to dispatch regarding Ryan Hayden's address. A neighbor reported hearing several gunshots in the house and saw Ryan Hayden fleeing the scene in his car; his electronic ankle bracelet was lying on the ground."

"Where the hell are Officers Jenko and Miller! They're supposed to be watching the house!"

There was a short pause and finally, "They're dead sir." Baker's face was pale. He looked to Con, Fenton, Bartend and then back to the Chief as he said; "The house blew up with them in it."


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing, following, favorites, or just reading. And a special thank you to my beta reader eleven buddy for helping me with my story. You're all awesome!

A little writer's note: I know for all you Callie fans it's been awhile since I posted a Callie chapter, I think you're all going to be proud of our girl she going to start coming into her own of who she is. As for all you Joe fans it'll probably be a few more chapters before Frank find out what's happened to him, because things are about to come out of the woodwork have to come together before we get to that moment. ** So hopefully you've all read _Pressure, if you haven't then I'd suggest you do,_ otherwise _things won't make since._**

 **Here's my new chapter hope you like it.**

Aftermath Chapter 9

"Good morning Bayport! It's going to be another fine and beautiful, warm and sunny day with a temperature in the mid 70's. Perfect picnic weather…"

"Unfortunately, there won't be any picnics for us today." Callie commented to herself as she turned off the radio, cutting the announcer off before he'd finished his sentence.

She pulled into the driveway of the Hardy home and noticed several vehicles parked in their driveway including Frank and Joe's van along with their Aunt Gertrude's blue sedan.

"I thought Frank said his aunt wouldn't be here for another week for graduation." She thought in a panic, "Oh no. This can't be a good sign." Then Callie began to rationalize the situation. "Of course why wouldn't she be here? Her family was dealing with a crisis and her youngest nephew was missing." It was only natural she'd be here, Callie reasoned.

Callie was feeling a bit nervous as to what she'd find when she entered the house. On the outside, it seemed like an ordinary Sunday morning at the Hardy home. She could picture them all inside sitting around the table eating breakfast, talking and laughing just enjoying each other's company, like one big happy family.

"What if that's not the case? What if inside that house was a family completely devastated by some news they had received this morning telling them that they'd lost their brother and son?" Callie knew that if the unthinkable had happened to Joe, things would never be the same again and lives would change forever.

"Frank would've called me if there was any news concerning Joe, wouldn't he?" Of course he'd call her, but then again maybe he was too distraught and couldn't pick up the phone.

"Oh my, Frank," She sighed worriedly. He would need her to help him through it. She wanted to be brave and be strong for him but would she be capable of handling whatever the situation might be?

The confrontation Frank'd had with Henry had scared her. She had never seen Frank so angry. If his father hadn't held him back, he would've severely hurt Henry, Callie was sure of that.

Her mind switching gears for a bit, she considered Henry Jacobs. He'd seemed like a nice person when she'd first met him at Prito's and she'd felt sorry for him when Frank had filled her in on his home situation.

She'd been willing to give him a chance and be friends with him, simply because he was a friend of Joe's. That had gone out the proverbial window when she'd seen just how Henry had treated the rest of her friends that day at the hospital. Then there was the abuse his father had inflicted on everyone, which included the people she cared about the most.

"Frank has every right to be angry, worried, and overprotective of Joe." Callie didn't like the obsession Henry seemed to have with Joe.

What if the obsession he had with Joe turned into something dangerous? Frank had told her about the creepy superhero drawing that seemed to portrait Joe. And when she'd seen Henry's new blonde hair for the first time, Callie agreed wholeheartedly with Frank; she didn't want Henry anywhere near Joe.

She understood that Joe had been there for Henry from the very beginning and with Joe's personality and willingness to help other being what it was ummm.. is, is emphasizing that last word, he saw it as his mission to help and protect his new friend. He helped Henry with his assignments so that he wouldn't fall behind in his classes. Joe protected him from the bullies at school. Lastly, Joe was the first person to find out Hayden was abusing Henry.

"What kind of an obsession was this? Was he in love with Joe?" She slowly wondered. She shook her head as she thought more on the subject. No, that couldn't be it; Henry wasn't acting like someone in love. It seemed to be more of a hero-worship thing.

What if Henry thought of Joe as his safety net, his protector and hero and it had somehow turned into an obsession? Callie suddenly felt sick to her stomach as another thought occurred to her. Was Henry trying to steal Joe's identity? Did he want to somehow transform _into_ Joe?

"That would explain why he dyed his hair blond." Again she shook the idea out of her head; that was simply too far-fetched. "No, no, that's just crazy."

Nevertheless, Henry _had_ gotten violent with Joe. Frank had told her about how Henry had thrown his food tray at his brother. That incident, in her mind, had proved that Henry did share some of his father's abusive tendencies. So maybe her idea wasn't so far-fetched as she'd first thought; she'd have to discuss it with Frank to see what he thought.

She hoped that Henry would get the help he needed to deal with his issues and to overcome the abuse he'd suffered from Hayden.

Hayden. Callie never thought she could hate anyone, but she did. She hated Hayden with every fiber of her being for this whole nightmare. The aftermath of Hayden's actions and abuse he'd inflicted was affecting everyone. Obviously that man didn't have a soul and cared only for himself.

She whispered harshly under her breath, "I hate you Hayden, I hate you for hurting Frank and Joe." Her thoughts quickly shifted back to her and Frank sitting under that oak tree on the Morton farm.

It'd nearly broken her heart when Frank had cried out to her, _"He hurt my brother, Callie..." His voice had been heavy and emotion filled._ _"You should see him. Joe's dealing with so much crap, it's causing him to have anxiety issues. It's gotten so bad that he's started to have nightmares! He had a freaking panic attack this morning when Dad told us Hayden was missing! I hate seeing Joe like that! I want my brother back!"_

Last night when Frank had stepped out of the Morton house, fist clutching his chest, he'd nearly scared her to death. He'd clearly been in pain.

""I'm fine, really; I'm just tired." She'd overheard him telling his parents. "I need to take Callie and Mom home." Of course Callie had known her boyfriend was far from fine, it was clear he was sick. She also knew that Joe wasn't the only one dealing with so much emotional crap.

Frank had so many of his own issues to deal with; for one, he still hadn't dealt with the aftermath of everything Hayden had done. Instead, Frank was pushing his own issues aside by focusing on Joe.

She knew he was sensing Joe's pain and it was taking its toll on Frank physically and emotionally. If they didn't find Joe soon Callie feared that she would lose the man she loved.

"Oh my God, what if what Frank is sensing is true? What if there really is bad news?" She turned her eyes to the front door. "What if Joe really is..." Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.

"No…No! Stop it!" She berated herself, "You can't allow yourself to think that way." She pulled a tissue from her purse as she pulled down the visor, using it to wipe the tears and mascara from her eyes and face. "So pull yourself together Callie. Frank needs you."

It took a few minutes but she redid her hair and makeup, using the time to compose herself. "You can do this. You have to be strong for him. Like Laura said, 'you're a lot stronger than you think you are'". With that, she took a deep breathed and climbed out of her car, making her way to the front door.

She rang the door. It took a few minutes but she heard the shuffle of feet before a familiar voice called, "Yes, who is it?"

"It's Callie."

When the door was finally opened, Callie gasped at the sight of Frank's mother. Laura Hardy was an early riser, just like her eldest son; they were both very prompt and it didn't take long for the two of them to get dressed and ready to start their day. But here it was, nine o'clock and Laura was standing before her, still clad in her gray pajamas with red roses and a long gray housecoat, her hair disheveled.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Callie asked, finally finding her voice. "I was worried about Frank and wanted to…"

"Callie, oh thank goodness you're here." Laura cut her off, throwing her arms around her as she drew her into a hug. "You couldn't have come at a better time." She sniffed back a sob as she released the young girl.

Callie could see her eyes were all red and puffy. It was hard to see her like that; clearly she'd been up, crying, all night.

"Come on inside, Sweetie," Laura began running her fingers through her disheveled hair.

"What's going on?" Callie asked hurriedly. She followed Laura into the house and into the living room.

"I swear I don't know why the men in this family have to be so stubborn." Laura shook her head in frustration.

"Fenton came home at around one this morning, angry and just worn out, but instead of going to bed like he should, he headed straight for his office and that's where he's been all morning." She pointed down the hallway that led to Fenton's office.

"It's been like pulling teeth trying to get him to get some sleep. He argued with me that he can't sleep now, because he's working on a new case that he's so tight lipped about. All he would tell me was that it could lead to him finding Joe." Laura huffed. "I was lucky that I got him to have some breakfast; toast and coffee, that's all he'd have."

Callie raised an eyebrow at hearing that. "Well, hopefully that's a good sign. Whatever he's working on will lead him to Joe; then you'll all have some peace back in your lives."

"I hope so too." Laura began to tear up. "I'd give anything to wrap my arms around him. This house is just too quiet. I miss hearing Joe's laughter, and seeing that smile of his that can light up a room when he walks in."

There was a short pause between the two women. "Mrs. Hardy I don't mean to overstep any boundaries here," Callie began carefully. "But you're speaking as though Joe were dead." She placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Like I told Frank yesterday, if you continue to talk like that, it means you're giving up on Joe. Have some faith that he will come back to you. Joe won't leave his family…not like this."

"I believe he's still alive. I believe your husband and Frank will find him. You will have your arms around Joe again soon." Callie swallowed a lump in her throat. "Just believe it."

"Thank you Callie. I needed to hear that." Laura brushed the tears from her face and wrapped her arms around Callie once more. After holding her for a few seconds, she let the teenager go to hold her at arm's length. "Now perhaps you can knock some sense into my son."

"He has no business going anywhere this morning. He is sick. He needs to stay home, and rest." Laura said exasperated. "He's just being stubborn like his father. He's insisting that he's fine and that he and Biff have to go to Bellevue."

"Please talk to Frank. He won't listen to me." She pleaded with the young girl.

Callie was touched that Laura would lean on her and trust her enough to want her help. She could feel the bond that was between them already, growing and strengthening; it was a good feeling. "I'll do my best."

Laura smiled and replied before heading upstairs. "Thank you Callie, I know you will. Now go on into the kitchen and I'll go let Frank know you're here."

Callie nodded as she made her way into the kitchen.

(Oooo)

There Callie found Frank's aunt wearing an apron, her dark brown hair pinned into a bun while she was standing at the stove making pancakes. And Biff, Callie saw was already at the table eating said pancakes.

"Hey," He gave her a slight nod and a smile. She noted a bit of sadness in his eyes, telling her that something was wrong but that he didn't want to say anything in front of Frank and Joe's aunt.

Gertrude looked up from the stove, acknowledging the girl's presence. "Good morning, Callie."

"Morning, Miss. Hardy."

"Please, call me Aunt Gertrude," the older woman corrected her.

"I'm sorry. Good morning Aunt Gertrude." Callie smiled kindly.

"Good. Now come and help yourself to some pancakes. I've made plenty." Gertrude walked over to the table and placed a plate of pancakes on the table. "The boys usually have them gone by now..." She stopped herself willing herself not to cry.

"I'm going to take Fenton another cup of coffee." She quickly wiped a tear away with the corner of her apron. She cleared her throat, "You too Biff; have another pancake."

"Thank you, Aunt Gertrude."

Callie sat across from Biff as soon as Gertrude left the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hand. "Biff, what is going on?" she whispered softly concern filling her voice. "Has there been any news on Joe?"

Biff glanced down at his plate pushing pieces of his pancake around with his fork, making it look like he'd eaten a bit. "No, I wish there was something, because it would make things a lot easier."

"Okay, so then what, is there something else going on?" She dreaded voicing her next question. "How's Frank? Is he okay? Please tell me."

Biff laid his fork down and finally looked up at Callie. "You know how the family is usually, I don't know..." He tried to find the right word to describe them, "lively and happy?"

Callie nodded.

"Well, today they're a completely different family," Biff replied sadly. "They're walking around this house like zombies or something all full of sadness, and anger. It's like they're in mourning, almost as if they know something but nobody wants to admit it."

Callie leaned forward placed her hand on top of his and whispered. "Biff, Joe's not dead. He's alive."

"We don't know that for sure. It's been two days Callie." He whispered back voice unsteady. "I want my best friend back as much as anyone else." Biff nodded towards the kitchen stairs as he went on, "I keep expecting Joe to come running down here any second, and make some stupid wisecrack about me hogging all the pancakes."

"But he's not going to. We may have no choice but to accept the fact that Joe is..." Biff's voice trailed off. He swallowed a lump in his throat before he managed to spit it out. "Dead."

Callie just looked at him. She didn't want to think about it, she was trying to remain hopeful, but her mind kept sliding back to that possibility. Joe couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be.

Blinking back tears, she cleared her throat. "What does Frank say? He can't possibly be thinking that Joe's dead?"

Biff hesitated, turning his head away from her. He didn't know how to tell her.

"Biff, please, I can't help him, if I don't know the situation. Please tell me is he okay?" She repeated her earlier question. "His mom said he was sick. I saw the condition he was in last night; has Frank gotten worse?"

Biff turned back to Callie. He gave her hand a friendly squeeze, and let out a deep sigh, "You need to prepare yourself for when you do see him."

Callie's heart sank. "Why?"

"Frank gave me his room. He stayed in Joe's room. I don't think he slept at all last night." Biff began to explain the situation. "I woke up sometime around one this morning. I decided to go check on him to see if he was alright."

"I went through the bathroom that connected to their rooms, I was standing in the doorway and witnessed something I've never seen Frank do."

"What's that?"

"Frank was sitting on Joe's bed, clutching his chest as he...cried. It wasn't out of anger, it was more like he was grieving. I didn't want to disturb him so I quickly backed out of the room and went back into his." Biff shook his head as he roughly wiped the tears from his eyes. "All I could think was that Joe was dead."

Callie was speechless. Tears ran down her face, she was just in shock. She just didn't know what to think?

"Callie."

Callie turned her head and her jaw dropped at the sight of Frank standing at the bottom of the kitchen stairs. Frank looked so pale, and his lips were almost a purplish color. "Frank." She gasped, jumping to her feet. She went over to him and touched the side of his face.

There were dark circles around his brown eyes, his skin felt cold and clammy, and he looked so sick... it was as though the life was slowly draining out of him. She'd just left him last night. This wasn't possible! It was almost as if he was dying!

"Your mother's right. You have no business going anywhere." She said firmly, voice not wavering at all, in spite of a sob trying to break through. "Clearly you're sick."

Frank was trying to catch his breath. "I can't...we have to go to Bellevue." He turned to Biff. "We'll be leaving soon."

"Okay, I'll meet you outside." Biff said getting up from the table as Frank handed him the keys and headed out the door leaving the couple alone to talk.

"Frank, please…" Callie said, trying to stay calm once they were alone.

"Callie, I can't stay home! I need some answers!" He said more forcefully than he'd intended. "I need to know what happened to him. If going to Bellevue gets me those answers then I have to go!"

"Frank."

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just…he's my little brother." Frank looked at Callie as tears began to stream down his face. "I can't feel… him anymore." He grabbed at his chest, his voice heavy with emotion as he spoke. "I don't know why? If Joe is…" He couldn't bring himself to say the dreaded word. "His body is still… out there somewhere. I have to bring my little brother home…so he can rest in peace."

After hearing that Callie had no other choice, she had to let him go. "Okay, you go find the answers you need, just please take care of yourself." Callie threw her arms around him pulling him into a hug. She sniffed back a sob, "I love you."

"I promise everything'll be fine. I will come back." Releasing his hold on Callie, Frank framed her face with his hands, gently wiping her tears away before he kissed her soft lips. "I love you, too."

After they'd said their goodbyes, Callie walked with him over to the front door. Biff was already in the driver's seat. She watched as Frank made him way over to van and climbed into the passenger seat. As soon as he was settled, Biff started the van moving, pulling out of the driveway as Callie stood and watched them disappear down the road.

She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine; she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. "Don't make me a promise you can't keep Frank Hardy."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone I know it's been awhile since my last update. Thank you to those who left me wonderful reviews, and to those following, and favorites and just reading along.

Here is my new chapter like I said before hope you've read **_Pressure_** because things from that story are about to come out of the woodwork in this story. As for what happened to Joe you'll find out in the next chapter after this one. Please let me know what you think of the story so far, love to here from you

Aftermath chapter 10

It was nearly an hour after Frank and Biff had left for Bellevue before Callie re-entered the Hardy home and made her way to their living room. She didn't feel like going home quite yet; she wanted to be near Frank's family.

She walked over to the fireplace where a large family portrait hung just above the mantelpiece. Fenton and Laura stood to one side, Frank and Aunt Gertrude stood on the other with Joe in the center, surrounded by his family. They were all formally dressed and each of them had smiles on their faces.

They were the definition of what a family should be; happy and full of life, as Biff had described them. They cared for and supported each other through both good and bad times. They weren't perfect by any means, they had their problems just as every other family did, but one thing they had in abundance was love.

To see the family so full of anger and sadness was a little unsettling to Callie. It wasn't fair, how could life be so cruel?

Callie loved Frank very much and wanted to have a future with him someday. They'd both hinted at the subject of marriage, however neither one of them was ready for that step quite yet; after all they were about to graduate high school and were ready to soon start college. After that though, the future was all theirs. She was looking forward to the day where she'd officially become part of the Hardy family.

She was already starting to form a special bond with Laura. She was a very special woman. Now she wanted to work on getting to know the rest of Frank's family; Fenton and Aunt Gertrude.

Through Fenton Callie had already gotten a small glimpse of what Frank would look like when he got older. When she'd met Fenton for the first time she'd found him to be a bit intimidating but as time went on she'd found him to be a kind and caring man who always made her feel welcome in his home. Aunt Gertrude on the other hand, had been known to have a sharp tongue, never afraid to speak her mind. Deep down however, the woman was a kind, caring person who loved her family.

In truth, Callie felt a bit sad for both Fenton and Aunt Gertrude; they'd had to grow up with a father who never showed any affection towards his children. That can't have been easy, Callie thought. She began to wonder if there was a little bit of mystery surrounding the Hardy family.

Of course, there was Joe. Joe would be her biggest hurdle considering the brothers' protectiveness of the other. She was hoping the two of them would become good friends, given time, since she felt she needed his acceptance if she actually wanted to have a future with Frank.

That got her thinking about the whole situation that surrounded Hayden. It tore her apart to see her boyfriend so heartbroken and sick over the possibility of his little brother being dead. She couldn't get over just how sick Frank had looked when she'd seen him. Would he be able to come back to her like he'd promised?

Suddenly troubling questions entered her mind. Had she done the right thing in letting him go? Maybe she should've tried harder to make him stay home. But...he had to go; he had to find the answers that would lead him to his brother. What would Frank be like, if it turned out that Joe really was dead? Would Frank end up dying too? Was the future she wanted to have with Frank, already set to fail?

Callie looked up at the family portrait, her eyes landing on Joe. She loved the fact that he was smiling; his blue eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and mischief. He was the missing piece to a puzzle, without him, the family wasn't complete.

"Are you really gone Joe, or is this just some sick joke? Do you know just how much your family is hurting right now?" She stifled an angry sob. "I know none of this is your fault. You're just an innocent victim who got caught up in Hayden's cruel plans."

"I want to believe with all my heart you are alive." She brought a hand up to her chest, rubbing it lightly as she spoke again. "If you're still out there, please fight your way back to us Joe; especially for Frank, he really needs you. He's very sick, and I-I'm afraid we're going to lose him. You are the only one who can help him at this point. Save him Joe, save your brother."

The pressure began building up inside of Callie; she let the tears pour down her face; she just couldn't hold her emotions in anymore. She went over and sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands, and cried.

Just then Laura walked into the room, to find the young girl in tears. "Callie, honey, are you alright?"

"Oh Mrs. Hardy… I'm sorry." Callie looked up quickly wiping the tears from her face. "I'm trying so hard to be brave and strong for him. What if I'm not cut out to do this? I tried my best to get Frank to stay home… but I had to let him go to Bellevue …he needed to go find answers…he needs to find Joe."

"Oh I know you did your best and thank you for trying. I appreciate it." Laura sat down next to Callie and put a comforting arm around her. "You're strong and brave. It's okay to cry and let out your fear and frustration caused by the situation we're in."

"And You're doing fine with Frank. It takes hard work to build a relationship with someone. It's never easy when someone you love is going through pain. It's times like this when you need each other the most. There will be rough patches in your life, but you'll get through them as long as you're together and supporting each other."

"Fenton and I are going through a rough patch right now because of the situation with our boys. We're both angry, scared and frustrated and we've lashed out at each other periodically. But no matter what happens we'll get through it together because we love each other."

Laura began to tear up as she steered the conversation back to Frank. "Truthfully, as much as I hate seeing my eldest son so sick, I would've let him go to Bellevue too."

Callie noticed for the first time that Laura had changed out of her pajamas and into a pair of black knit pants and a light blue cardigan sweater over a white top. Her hair was brushed to lie neatly behind her back. She had a little bit of makeup on but not enough to hide her puffy red eyes.

"So...you think I did the right thing by letting Frank leave." She asked, looking for confirmation.

"I do." Laura replied while brushing the tears from her eyes, "I know how he's feeling, because I'm feeling it too. Not knowing what's happened to Joe has caused a bit of emptiness. That's what's killing our family. We need closure and have yet to get it."

Callie placed a supportive hand on top of Laura's, gripping it lightly. "Grieving the loss of a loved one is one thing, but how do you grieve for someone when they're missing?"

Laura shook her head and despite her best efforts, began to tear up again. "I'm scared to death that I'm going to lose my children. For all I know, I may have already lost one of them." Just saying that left a bitter taste in Laura's mouth. "I know that, somehow, Frank's illness is connected to Joe."

"We did the right thing in letting Frank go to Bellevue...I think if we'd forced him to stay home and rest...his condition would've worsened; he'd just lie in bed and wait to die."

"He's a detective; it's part of who he is. He needs to think logically and get those facts in order to find out what happened to his brother. It is what Frank, needs right now. It's giving him a purpose, a hope, a reason to live."

"Callie, what you said about not giving up on Joe, really struck a cord with me. You're right; I won't give up, I am going to remain hopeful and have faith that both of my boys will come home to me, alive." She gave a watery smile. "After all, these are my boys we're talking about and extraordinary things have been known to happen with them."

Callie saw Laura's smile as her eyes brightened. Callie's heart ached; Laura reminded her so much of Joe just then, Callie didn't have the heart to tell her that Frank couldn't feel Joe anymore. That couldn't be a good sign. However, Laura did not need to know that right now.

"Well, I guess the best thing we can do right now, is pray and continue to comfort each other while we wait for a miracle." Callie gave Laura's hand another light squeeze. "Hopefully the new case Mr. Hardy is on will lead him to Joe. Frank will find his answers. We can't count Joe out just yet, he'll fight his way back to us."

Callie looked up at the Hardy family portrait once more, eyeing first Frank, then Joe. Laura was right; these were her sons they were talking about and extraordinary things had been known to happen to them in the past. Maybe this would be one of those times.

"Mrs. Hardy...would it be alright if I stayed here with you for a little while? I don't want to go home just yet. I just feel like I need to be close to Frank and since he's not here just being here in his house, your house makes me feel close to him."

"That would be perfectly fine." Laura smiled and reached over and patted Callie with her other hand. "Why don't we go into the kitchen and have some breakfast? I know Gertrude made plenty of pancakes and it would be a shame to let it all go to waste."

"Okay, thank you." Callie smiled back. "I have to call my mom first and let her know I'm going be here a while."

"Your mother's name is Susan, am I right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Why don't you have her come over?" Laura kindly suggested.

Callie's eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure you're up to a lot of company right now?"

"I'm sure. I could use the distraction. And, I'd really like to get to know your mother better. She needs to know that she's done an amazing job of raising such an amazing daughter."

Callie responded, a soft smile on her face. "Thank you." She pulled her cell phone out of her jeans back pocket.

(Oooo)

"Did you receive the copy of Hayden's medical records that I faxed over to your office last night?" Fenton asked his lawyer friend over the phone.

"Yes, Fenton. I'm looking them over as we speak." Carl Sims answered. "It does appear to be authentic. Hayden's had a psych test done by a Dr. Miles Camden who has confirmed that Hayden is suffering from Major Depressive Disorder, or in other words, depression."

"Hayden's mental illness also confirms what we suspected all along that Hayden is a sociopath." Carl went on as he read the rest of Dr. Camden's report. "These psych tests are normally given to serial killers before they get put on trial; they cannot be manipulated in any way. This is to see if they are mentally insane and have no control over their actions."

"All serial killers, and therefore sociopaths, score extremely high when it comes to depression. In fact, major depression is probably a precursor to sociopathy as most sociopaths have troubled paths which could lead to depression. Major depression usually has a lot to do with self anger, guilt, and other negative emotions and is currently labeled a disease."

"Dr. Camden then goes on to say, ' you wouldn't blame someone for throwing up when they have the flu; depression symptoms are much the same. If left untreated and the patient has nobody to talk to, well, the anger and anxiety needs to be channeled somehow and so begins the manipulation and murder of others. Having said that, sociopaths are most definitely created and are depressed as major depression is one of the main causes of the development of sociopaths..."

"Carl, I know what it says. I have read this report fifteen times." Fenton replied firmly. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes before looking down in disgust at his own copy of Hayden's medical record. "This is not looking good at all."

"I know. I've got my work cut out for me." Carl huffed, "What's making it worst is the fact that Bartend got a judge to grant Hayden a speedy trial so as to avoid having Hayden stress out anymore than he already is. That's why the trial starts tomorrow at 8 am."

"In spite of the new charges of breaking and entering and animal cruelty, Bartend wants Hayden tried only for his original crimes; the child abuse and attempted murder. He's confident that he can get the attempted murder charges dropped and he's determined to get a lighter sentence on the multiple counts of child abuse, and get Hayden back to a mental health facility…"

"Oh, hell no!" Fenton hissed, gripping the phone until his knuckles turned white. "Not after what happened at Bellevue… that bastard needs to be locked up in a maximum security prison. And that isn't even enough….if Hayden murdered my son he's going to wish he were dead." He paused to stop himself from saying anything more.

"I take it there's still no word on Joe."

Fenton let out a deep sigh as he thought about his youngest son. "No and it's been two days..."

"Fenton, I am so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what you and your family are going through." Carl replied sympathetically. "I've known Joe since he was just a little guy, Frank too."

"How are Frank and Laura holding up?"

"Laura is going through hell, right now. Frank is not doing so well, he's very sick and I don't know how much longer he's going to last. I know his illness is connected to Joe somehow," Fenton said grimly. He couldn't get over how deathly sick Frank looked. It was killing him to see his family worrying themselves sick over their youngest member and what could have happened to him.

"We're not giving up on this case just yet, it's far from over. There is a possibility that Joe is still alive. We are going to do everything we can to bring him home."

"In fact I'm expecting a call from Sam at anytime; he's following up on a lead in Southport for me. Frank and a friend of his, Biff Hooper just left for Bellevue this morning to follow up on their part in the case."

"I've been thinking over Frank's theory. If Hayden did in fact go to the Morton farm with the intention of killing Joe, why didn't he leave his body behind? What reason would Hayden have to take Joe?"

"I strongly believe that Joe was taken to be used as leverage and a distracted in order to keep our focus away from the trial. From what I've gathered so far three people abducted Joe, Carolyn Matthews, Cindy Hayden and one other unknown person. The way I see it there must have been a struggle during which Joe was hurt; that's the only reason I see, that there'd be blood in the trunk of the car."

"Wait a minute. Weren't you ordered off the Hayden case, Fenton?"

"My search for Joe will never end; not until I find him. And yes, to answer your question, I am investigating Hayden, Ryan Hayden to be exact."

"Ryan Hayden murdered two police officers. He's just as dangerous as his brother. Chief Collig needs all the help he can get right now; when a cop is killed, it's all hands on deck in order to find the person responsible. You can be sure every officer in the country is looking for Hayden right now."

Fenton once again rubbed his tired eyes. His body was begging for some sleep but he couldn't give in; there was too much to do. "That's where I was last night investigating the crime scene. It turns out that a gas explosion was the cause for Ryan's house blowing up. We've now determined that it was deliberately set."

"Officers Mark Jenko and Carla Miller had orders from Chief Collig to guard Ryan. We found their charred bodies inside the house, their hands cuffed behind their backs. They were both shot in the head execution-style. The coroner's office determined that they'd been killed before the house went up in flames."

"Oh my god," Carl murmured in disgust before going on to say. "Okay, so you're investigating Ryan Hayden. There's no way he could've been involved in Joe's abduction; the timings are all off. So that would mean that there's a fifth person involved."

"I believe so, yes."

"Do you have a suspect in mind?"

Fenton discreetly replied. "I'd rather not say at this point. Let's just say I'm working on a lead of my own." He figured that since Bartend thought he knew everything about him, having done so much research, he could reciprocate and do a little research of his own.

"Call it a hunch but I have a feeling these leads are somehow connected to Hayden and will lead us to Joe."

"I hope you're right." Carl informed the detective. "I don't intend to give up either Fenton; I am going to push for the 25 year prison sentence for multiple counts of child abuse as well as the attempted murder of his son. I've got enough evidence to build a case against Jack Hayden with the knife, belt and statements the police got from his former students. And on top of that there's also the pictures the hospital took of Henry's injuries."

"Considering what's going on with your boys, I can't count on them on testify. I'm hoping that my star witness is ready for me to put on the stand. I'm heading out to the Morton farm in a bit so I can talk to Henry; his therapist, Dr. Reese is meeting me there."

Fenton wasn't sure how that would play out; hopefully Henry would agree to testify. "What do you think the chances are that Daniel Bartend will put Jack Hayden on the stand?" Fenton asked bluntly.

There was a short pause on the other end of the line; all Fenton could hear was Carl's breathing. Finally Carl answered. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that because if Bartend puts his client on the stand, it could end up going in his favor. Especially if Jack has another one of his 'breakdowns' like you told me he had last night. It'd turn the courtroom into a three ring circus."

"Yeah, Hayden can put on quite a show." Fenton answered; he was still fuming over everything that had happened when they'd interrogated Jack Hayden.

"Listen, Fenton, I have to let you go. I need to get out to the Morton farm. Please keep me informed of any news on Joe. I do hope he's alive."

"Thank you, I will keep you informed. And the same goes for you," Fenton said one last thing before hanging up. "Keep me informed on what's happening with the trial."

"Will do."

(Oooo)

Fenton had barely put the phone down, before it began to ring again. "Detective Hardy," he answered.

"Fenton, it's Sam."

"Sam, I hope you have some good news for me." Fenton was relieved to hear his friend and partner's voice.

"I do have news. But it's not exactly good news."

Fenton gripped the phone tight in his hand as he heard the grim tone in his friend's voice. He began to mentally prepare himself for the news he was about to hear. "Go ahead Sam, what have you got?"

"I went to the Southport Hospital where our Karen Marshall a.k.a. Nurse Carolyn Matthews used to work. Talking to the staff there they pretty much confirmed what we already knew; she was fired for stealing medications and had conducted herself badly towards a patient. A Duncan Edwards, a man who was in his late forties, died in her care."

"Once an autopsy was performed, they found Mr. Edwards to be a diabetic. The reason he was in the hospital in the first place was a blood clot in his leg. Karen Marshall was the nurse assigned to his care; she gave him a large amount of insulin and it ended up killing him. This all happened a year ago on June 3rd."

"June 3rd...that's about the same time she helped Cindy Hayden disappear from the same hospital." Fenton remembered Frank showing him the nurse article concerning the nurse.

"Yes that part is correct. But here's something you'll find interesting." Sam added. "I did some checking on with the Southport authorities on Mr. Duncan Edwards."

"Turns out he had a bit of a criminal record. He was a registered sex offender. He was arrested 10 years on two counts for having sexual relations with a girl under the age of fourteen."

Fenton raised an eyebrow at Sam's explanation. "I also looked into his family background. He had an older brother, Delbert Edwards, who died seventeen years ago along with his son teenaged son Dallas Ray Edwards. At the time, Delbert was married to a Carol Matthews Edwards who ended up leaving her husband. The family must have had a history of drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence."

"Did you say Carol Matthews Edwards?" Fenton repeated, just to be sure he'd heard correctly.

'That is correct, she died of a drug overdose a few years after she'd left her family. It turns out the woman had a daughter, who would've been Delbert Edwards's stepdaughter. She would've been seventeen at the time."

"What was the daughter's name?" Fenton's heart was pounding out of his chest. He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"Karen Marshall."

Finally, they had a break in the case; that meant they were one step closer to finding Joe. "Sam, do you know what the cause of death was for both Delbert Edwards and his son?"

There was a short pause that seemed to last forever before Sam finally replied. "Yes, they were both shot in the head before the house went up in flames."

It took a short amount of time for Fenton to process the information. "That's the same way Ryan Hayden murdered the two police officers." Fenton thought aloud, feeling sick to his stomach.

"What do you mean Ryan Hayden murdered two police officers?" Sam broke in to his partner's thoughts. "Are you talking about Jack Hayden's brother?"

Sam heard silence. "Fenton, are you still there?"

"Sorry, Sam...Yeah I'm here. Are you on your way back to Bayport?"

"Yes, I'm about ten minutes away."

"Okay, good, I'll fill you in on everything...we've got to find Joe… and fast."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hello everyone I'm back with my new chapter. Thank you to those who left me wonderful reviews, and to those following, and favorites and just reading along. And a special thank you to my beta reader elven buddy for helping me with my story :)**_

 ** _Again_ _I hope you've read Pressure because things from that story are about to come out of the woodwork in this story. I promise we are getting close to finding out happened to Joe. you'll find out in the next chapter after this one. Please let me know what you think of the story so far, love to here from you :)_**

 _Aftermath Chapter 11_

 _It was noon before Biff managed to get to Bellevue, driving through all the heavy traffic. He glanced over at the passenger seat at Frank, who was staring out of the window. He wore the saddest expression; almost as though he'd lost his best friend. Biff quickly shifted his eyes back onto the road in front of him while trying to think of something encouraging he could say to the older Hardy boy._

 _He cleared his throat and said, 'I know Joe's alive. I just know it and I know we're going to find him. He's one tough dude your brother, he's been in tougher scrapes before and has always managed to pull through because he's a fighter."_

 _"He's not leaving us at seventeen, not when..." He trailed off, his eyes widening as the reality of the situation hit him. He hit the steering wheel with his clenched fist. "Damn it! We've gotta find Joe!"_

 _"I'm not going through senior year of high school without him. All I'd have left is Morton; don't get me wrong Chet's a good fun friend to hang around with and all… it's just he doesn't do wild and crazy things like Joe and I do. It's our turn to rule the school." He glanced back at Frank to see his reaction._

 _Frank turned and gave him a sour look. "Rule the school?"_

 _"Yeah, I know that was cheesy." Biff replied turning his eyes back to the road. "But, hey you get my point, right? It's our senior year. It's supposed to be a fun, wild and crazy time."_

 _"You mean like auditioning for the part of Romeo in the school play?"_

 _"That has yet to be decided. It would be funny if I did." Biff laughed before replying. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. I mean we have football games to win, senior prom to look forward to, as well as a bunch of other activities. For Joe to miss all that is just plain wrong."_

 _He added sincerely. "It's also our last chance to be kids before we're adults and have to face the real world on our own. You're about to face the real world yourself, with graduating and going off to Princeton. And I assume you and Callie are going to get married someday, right?"_

 _Frank just looked at Biff, remaining silent._

 _"Oh, I'm sorry. Was what I said about Callie too personal?" Biff apologized, realizing that he may have just crossed a line he shouldn't have._

 _"No, it's okay, it's not too personal, and yes, I do understand your point." Frank said thoughtfully. "Hopefully Callie and I will get married someday." He wanted so much for Callie to be a part of his future; he loved her so much! She'd been his rock throughout the whole big mess that Hayden had caused. He felt guilty, knowing that he wasn't paying as much attention to her as she deserved; all his focus was on Joe right now. He didn't know how right now, but he'd make it up to her, if he got the chance to that was. He knew his body was weakening and it scared him._

 _"However, I can't think of anything but Joe right now, thinking about the future will have to wait." Frank ran a hand through his hair. "I hope and pray that he is alive. I just wish I could feel him." He rubbed his chest lightly. "There has to be a reason; maybe he's unconscious or something and is unable to send us any more of a hint."_

 _"I've been going over a new theory in my head about this case."_

 _Biff stopped behind two cars at the stoplight just as it turned red. "I'm all ears; let's hear it." He looked at Frank._

 _"I think Hayden's reason for being at the Morton farm was to kidnap Henry and kill my brother." Frank rubbed his tired eyes._

 _"He found his way to the farm, breaking into the house where he probably came upon Duke, or they came upon each other. He didn't want the dog's barking to draw attention to him, so he found the hamburger meat in the fridge and the knife, and he lured the dog out to the stable where he killed it."_

 _"My guess is that Hayden decided to hide out in the stable to wait for the perfect moment to make his move. It was pure luck that Joe happened to make his way to the barn; instead of killing him, Hayden, with the help of both Cindy Hayden and Nurse Matthews and the possibility of one other person, decided to kidnap Joe instead."_

 _"What reason would they have to take him?" Biff asked, trying to understand._

 _"To keep our minds focused on Joe and off of the trial. Hayden's lawyer is trying hard to keep his client out of prison." Frank answered his friend before continuing on with his theory. "As you said, Joe's a fighter; he'll definitely fight back."_

 _He felt sick to his stomach as he said, "He must've gotten injured at some point when they were transporting him. That's the only explanation as to how his blood got into the trunk of the black car. It's possible that for now, they're keeping him alive somewhere but as soon as the trial's over they'll kill him and dump his body somewhere."_

 _Again he turned to look out his window. His voice was heavy with emotion as he said, "I just wish I could feel him."_

 _Biff gazed sadly at his friend before turning away. It was hard for him to see Frank Hardy like this with his pale face and purplish lips. Frank was usually someone strong and fearless, always in control. But he could see now that Frank was just lost without Joe. If what Frank thought was true and Joe was dead, then Frank would most likely die as well._

 _Biff knew that Joe would go out of his mind if he ever saw his older brother like this. Then Biff thought about how he'd promised Frank to keep an eye on Joe. But now that Joe wasn't around, Biff decided he'd return the favor and look out for his best friend's older brother._

 _The best way for him to take care of Frank was to keep his mind on the case at hand. Biff again cleared his throat and commented, "You said something about another person being involved. Do you have an idea of who that might be?"_

 _"Not yet." Frank shook his head slowly. "Dad is working on that part." After the older Hardy boy, composed himself, he turned back to his friend._

 _"What about Ryan Hayden?"_

 _"Dad doesn't believe so and neither do I, but then again, you never know."_

 _"Why is that?"_

 _"The timing is off. Ryan Hayden was under house arrest when Joe was abducted." Frank explained. "There could be more people involved in this. As such, we can't rule him out as a suspect completely. There is a possibility that he's very much involved in this because he went missing last night."_

 _Biff's eyes widened. "What do you mean, he's missing?"_

 _Just before the boys had left the house, Fenton Hardy had pulled his son aside and filled him in on his encounter with Hayden's lawyer, Daniel Bartend and how the young lawyer had tried to order him off the case. From there, he went on and told Frank that he was doing a bit of investigating into Bartend's background and about how Hayden had had another one of his breakdowns while at the police station. Fenton had finished by telling Frank that Ryan Hayden had murdered two of Collig's officers._

 _Frank advised his friend. "Biff, what I'm about to tell you has to stay between us, got it?"_

 _"My lips are sealed."_

 _"Last night Ryan Hayden murdered two police officers before setting his house on fire."_

 _"Oh shit!" Biff cursed at hearing that bombshell of news. "And Joe could be in the hands of these lunatics!"_

 _"Yeah, I know." Frank sighed, thinking the same thing. "Dad believes that if we follow every lead in the case, something will end up bringing us closer to finding Joe. Dad and Sam are working on their end; we have to work on ours."_

 _"It's possible that everyone on our list of suspects from Nurse Matthews to all of the Haydens, including Henry, had a hand in Joe's abduction."_

 _"Frank, I know you don't like this obsession he has with your brother, and I don't like it either, but do you really think Henry is part of this?" Biff asked surprised at the last part of Frank's statement. He understood that Frank had issues with Henry because of his obsession with Joe, but Biff didn't understand how Henry could possibly be involved in Joe's kidnapping._

 _"I'm not saying he is or isn't. But as my dad says, we can't overlook anyone." Frank replied. "There's a chance that more than one person is involved in this." As sick as Frank felt, he couldn't keep his instincts, as the older sibling, from kicking in. If Joe really was dead, he'd get the person or people responsible. Nobody ever hurt his little brother and got away with it._

 _Suddenly a car honked behind them breaking Frank out of his thoughts just as the light turned green._

 _"Alright, whatever we have to do to bring Joe home, count me in." Biff volunteered eagerly._

 _"So do you have Mr. O'Bryan's address?"_

 _"Yeah, Dad gave it to me just before we left. He lives in an apartment complex. Just turn left at the next stop light."_

 _Biff made the turn as Frank had directed. "What do you expect to find out from him?"_

 _"To be honest with you Biff, I'm not sure." Frank sat up straight as he rubbed his tired eyes. "I just know it's a lead, something that will bring us closer to Joe." He continued, his voice having a note of finality in it. "Hopefully Mr. O'Bryan can tell us a little more about Karen Daniels."_

 _(OOOO)_

 _It didn't take long for the boys to find the apartment complex. "I wonder which floor Mr. O'Bryan is on?" Biff mused as he slid the car into a parking spot. The boys climbed out and started to make their way through the parking lot."_

 _"Let's talk to the manager and find out where Mr. O'Bryan …"_

 _"What do you want!" A man's voice boomed out, freezing Frank in his tracks. Just then, a tall man climbed out of a red jeep, slamming the door behind him as he stormed his way towards the boys. "Whatever you're selling I ain't buying. I ain't religious so you can stop with the save my soul speech."_

 _Frank quickly took in the man's appearance, he was in his late thirties with short black haircut and wearing a pair of jeans and a white t shirt with the sleeves rolled up that showed of his muscular arms._

 _"Are you Stanley O'Bryan?" Frank asked. He didn't know how much strength he had, but his guard was up and he was ready to defend himself if need be. A quick look at Biff, showed Frank that his friend was also on his guard and ready for anything._

 _"I am, now what the hell do you want?" The man stopped and glared at the boys._

 _"I'm Frank Hardy and this is my friend Biff Hooper." Frank began calmly as he could. "We're sorry to bother you. We just have a few questions we'd like to ask you."_

 _"Are you reporters?" Stanley demanded folding his arms to his chest. He shifted his gaze over to Biff before bringing his attention back to Frank. "Cause, I'm in no freakin mood to talk. I just got canned. I can't pay my rent so now I'm leaving this damn town to start a new life somewhere else."_

 _"No. We're not reporters. We just want to talk to you."_

 _"You boys are a little young to be cops, unless they've started a junior division." The man said sarcastically. He noted Frank's pale face and purplish lips as he surveyed the teenager. "You look like you need to be in a hospital. Are you sick or something? Is it cancer?"_

 _Not giving Frank a chance to respond, Biff stepped in front of his friend coming to his rescue. He was furious at the man's insensitive question. "What the hell's wrong with you asking a question like that? Whether he's sick or not, you should be a little more respectful. In fact you have no idea who you're dealing with here."_

 _"Frank here is actually a detective. He's a damn good one at that. He's about to graduate from high school at the top of his class. He's going to Princeton. He and his brother sometimes help their detective father out on cases. Maybe you've heard of him, Detective Fenton Hardy? He's the best detective..."_

 _"Biff, thank you but there's no need..." Frank cut in. He took a couple of steps forward to bring himself beside Biff. He needed to prevent Biff from hitting the tall man, even if he wanted to hit him himself for his rude comment._

 _He turned back to Mr. O'Bryan and began again. "Mr. O'Bryan we need your help. You see my brother…" Then suddenly a sharp pain shot through his heart._

 _He clutched at his chest as his breathing began to get heavier. Joe! It had to be Joe. Was he trying to tell him something? He closed his eyes and thought tearfully, Joe had to hold on, Frank was coming, Joe just had to hang on for a little longer._

 _"Frank, are you alright?"_

 _The sound of Biff's voice jolted the elder Hardy boy out of his thoughts. He looked back at his friend before glancing over to Mr. O'Bryan. Concern was evident on both their faces. He composed himself quickly, dashing the tears from his eyes._

 _"It's Joe isn't it? Are you sensing him?" Biff asked excitedly. He couldn't stop himself; he was hoping his best friend was trying to tell his brother something. "Is it Joe? Is he trying to send you some kind of message?"_

 _"What the hell's he talking about?" Stanley demanded, looking directly at Frank. "Are you supposed to be psychic? Do you need a doctor or something?"_

 _Frank ignored the man's questions for now. He kept his voice even as he answered, "No, I'm fine. Just a little under the weather." But he couldn't shake the feeling that the pain he was feeling had something to do with Joe. What was his brother trying to tell him?_

 _Frank quickly brought the topic of conversation back to what it had been originally. "Mr. O'Bryan, my younger brother Joe has been kidnapped." He quickly gave the man a full description of Joe. "He's been missing for two days in fact. We have reason to believe that he's badly hurt. We need your help to find him."_

 _"What do you need me to do?"_

 _"We have reason to believe this woman may have been involved in Joe's disappearance." Taking his phone out of his back pocket, Frank quickly pulled up a picture of Nurse Matthews and showed it to Mr. O'Bryan. "Please, take a good look at this picture and tell me if you recognize this woman."_

 _Frank saw the anger ignite in Mr. O'Bryan's eyes as he took a look at the picture. "Yeah, I recognize her all right. That's Karen Daniels." Mr. O'Bryan's voice riddled with anger as he spoke. "That woman cost me my job."_

 _"Mr. O'Bryan, you worked in maintenance at the Bellevue hospital, correct?"_

 _"Please call me Stanley," The man insisted. "Mr. O'Bryan makes me think you're talking to my father."_

 _"Alright, Stanley," Frank repeated his question. "You work in maintenance at the Bellevue hospital, right?"_

 _"Yes, I was working my way up to head of maintenance. That is, until I got fired."_

 _"When did they fire you?"_

 _"On the same day the hospital had to be evacuated due to a fire breaking out on the second floor." Stanley shook his head in disgust. "Look, I'm sorry about my rude comment earlier; like I said, I'm in a bad mood. The police questioned me for almost two hours this morning as they think I'm somehow involved with that fire."_

 _"Stanley, your car was found abandoned about two miles outside Bayport. The police believe it was used to kidnap my brother; a strand of his hair, as well as blood was found inside the trunk."_

 _"Damn it!" Stanley stared Frank in the eye as he raised his right hand. It made him look as though he were on the witness stand. Stanley spoke, "I swear on my mother's grave that I had nothing to do with your brother's abduction, the fire at the hospital or the patient who disappeared. All I'm guilty of, is bragging too much to a new nurse who I thought was hot."_

 _"I didn't know she was going to spill coffee on me and steal my keys and car."_

 _Frank studied the man's face closely for a minute, looking for signs of deceit and found none. "I believe you."_

 _"You do?" The man's eyes widened. "Why's that?" He asked suspiciously._

 _"Call it a hunch."_

 _"You're gonna believe me on a hunch?"_

 _"Yes I do and with that being said, Stanley, you can't leave town, at least not yet. It'll make you look guilty for sure." Frank advised the man. "Wait until this investigation is over. I promise I do believe you're innocent."_

 _Stanley nodded in Biff's direction as he spoke to Frank. "Wow, you must be a damn good detective like your friend said."_

 _"Told you he's one of the best." Biff said, patting Frank on the shoulder seeming like a proud parent._

 _"Can you tell us more about Karen Daniels?" Frank asked, wanting to get the conversation back on track._

 _"Just that her name was Karen Daniels and she was new to the hospital." Stanley answered._

 _"Okay," Frank moved on to his next question. "On the day of the hospital fire did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"_

 _"No it was a normal day, just like any other..." Stanley cut himself off, seeming to remember something. "No, wait, come to think of it I do remember seeing a guy in the parking lot, he was acting all nervous."_

 _"What did he look like?"_

 _"Um, well he was a young guy. Probably a little older than you and a little younger than me, age wise. He had blond hair and was wearing a fancy suit, like a lawyer would wear."_

 _Frank glanced over at Biff before turning back to Stanley. "What exactly was he doing?"_

 _"He was pacing back and forth in the parking lot. I turned away for a minute because I heard the fire alarm go off and noticed the smoke coming out of a window on the second floor. When I turned back around the guy was gone."_

 _"Did you mention any of this to the police?" Frank asked as he began to digest this latest piece of information._

 _"No, I just now thought of it.' Stanley shrugged. "I didn't think it was important so I didn't say anything."_

 _Frank held his hand out to Stanley. "Thank you Stanley, for both your time and information. Again, we're sorry to bother you. Please take my advice and don't leave town."_

 _"I will and thank you for believing me." Stanley accepted first Frank's handshake then Biff's. "I do hope you find your brother."_

 _(OOOO)_

 _About an hour later, the boys made a quick stop at a diner for lunch for burgers and fries. They began going over their latest information. "So, what do you think?" Biff asked after taking a bite out of his burger._

 _"Do you think Stanley's telling the truth, that he's not involved in this?"_

 _"Yes, I do." Frank answered picking at his fries._

 _"What makes you so sure?"_

 _"He looked me straight in the eye, and his voice didn't falter when he spoke. I wish he'd told the police about the nervous guy he saw in the parking lot though."_

 _"That is very interesting that the dude was dressed like a lawyer."_

 _"Yeah, that is interesting." Frank took a sip of his soda. "We need to find this guy and find out if he has a significant part to play in the case or if it's just a coincidence. Who was he and why was he acting nervous?"_

 _"After we finish eating I'll call Dad and see what he thinks."_

 _Finishing his burger, Biff washed it down with the rest of his soda as he thought about a question he wanted to ask Frank, but wasn't sure if he should._

 _"Biff, is there something on your mind?" Frank asked sensing his friend's need to talk._

 _After a short pause, during which Biff debated with himself he finally decided to just spit it out. "Well, actually, there is something, but it's kind of personal." He answered slowly. "It's about you and this case."_

 _Frank raised an eyebrow now curious as to what this was about. "Okay."_

 _"If this is too personal you can tell me to shut up." Biff knew he was being a bit forward here. "It's about what happened earlier, you know when you felt that pain in your chest? I don't really understand it but I know your illness is connected to Joe somehow."_

 _"I guess what I'm trying to ask is…Were you really feeling Joe's presence…or is there something wrong with you medically?" He looked at his friend's pale face and purplish lips. "Stanley had a point when he said you needed to be in the hospital."_

 _A heavy silence filled the air as Frank turned and looked out at the parking lot as he considered how to answer his friend. Finally he turned back and answered the only way he knew how, with the truth._

 _"I can't really explain it, Biff." He placed a hand on his chest, feeling that familiar ache in his heart. "In a way I can feel Joe's presence."_

 _"So you felt him earlier?"_

 _"Yes, although I'm not sure what it means."_

 _"Do you think it means he's here, somewhere, in Bellevue?" Biff asked hurriedly._

 _"I don't know although it's very possible."_

 _Biff went on to ask the dreaded question that he knew was on everyone's minds back home. "So what happens if we don't find Joe in time? I mean...if he's dead...does that mean you'll die too?"_

 _"I can't answer that because I don't know. Nobody knows when they're going to die." Frank lay a hand sympathetically on Biff's. "All I can tell you, is that for now, I'm fine. The pain will go away. I just need to find Joe."_

 _(OOOO)_

 _It was about three in the afternoon by the time the boys were back on the road home, a couple of miles outside Bellevue. Biff was driving past a motel as they made their way towards a wooded area. Frank stared out the window, watching the trees fly by when something white caught his eye._

 _"Biff, stop the van!"_

 _Biff slammed on the brakes. "What is it, what's wrong?" Frank didn't reply, instead Biff watched as Frank practically flew out of the van and ran towards the trees._

 _He was grateful he was in such good shape due to all his workouts for football when he was able to catch up to Frank fairly easily. "Frank...what...?" Biff breathlessly cut himself off, his heart dropping when he saw Frank standing over something on the ground, a white sheet draped over whatever it was._

 _He stopped, silently standing next to Frank, he couldn't tear his eyes away from what he was seeing._

 _"Please, God don't let it be Joe." Frank could feel his heart pounding, his whole body was shaking. He was afraid to find what he'd been dreading. Nevertheless, he had to know…if._

 _He sank to his knees, too weak to keep standing, feeling as though someone had knocked the wind out of him. He couldn't process the thought that Joe...his best friend and partner, his little brother could be lying under that sheet._

 _Biff sank to his knees beside Frank. He'd never felt so scared in his life to think that that could be his best friend... He shook the thought out of his head._

 _"Biff, look away," Frank ordered, as his hand shook reaching for the head of the sheet._

 _"No, I have to know." Biff shook his head, his heart pounding out of his chest. He couldn't take his eyes off that sheet._

 _A heavy silence filled the air both boys to afraid to say a word. They both held their breaths._

 _Frank pulled the sheet back, "Oh my God," he gasped in shock to see the face of an old gray-haired man._


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone I'd like to thank t4swp, Cherylann Rivers, DusktoDawn, Candylou for your wonderful reviews, and I'd like to thank those who are following, favorites, and just reading, and a big thank you my beta reader elven buddy for helping he with my story. I promise the next chapter you'll find out what happened to Joe.

Aftermath chapter 12

The boys sat still for a moment as the reality of the situation sank in. Slowly, they let out the breath they'd both been holding. "Oh thank God; it's not Joe." Frank sighed in relief.

Then he shook the thought out of his head as he looked down at the old man's face. "I wonder who this..." Then suddenly the pungent odor of rotten meat assaulted his nose and there were flies buzzing all around.

"Oh damn!" Biff exclaimed, throwing a hand to his nose. The stench was so strong he was doing everything he could to hold back the bile in his throat.

"He must've been left out here in the hot sun for days." Frank gulped as his stomach began to churn violently. Quickly he jumped up and bolted; shoving leaves and branches out of his way.

"Frank!"

Biff was instantly on his feet, and ran breathlessly after his friend. His heart sank when he found Frank bent over vomiting by some bushes. He stood where he was and looked away, giving his friend some time to get himself together.

Once Frank had emptied his stomach, he lifted the hem of his t-shirt and used it to wipe his mouth. That done, he plopped himself down to the ground as he strove to catch his breath.

Biff sat beside him, instantly noting that his friend's face had gone from pale to a ghostly white. "Are you okay?" He gently asked.

Frank shook his head slowly. "I don't know how much more… of this I can take." He said, as Hayden's face flashed through his mind. He couldn't stop the pure rage that was boiling inside him and he exploded. "I hate Hayden! I want to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of him!" He glanced towards the trees as he tried to calm himself down.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair; his mind was reeling from everything going on; it was too much to handle all at once. His mind again lingered on Joe.

"When I saw that white sheet on the ground… I thought my heart was going to give out right then. I could tell there was something underneath it. As I was running towards it, I kept thinking it was a body." Frank clutched a hand to his chest. "Oh god I thought… it was…him."

There was a short pause as he began to gather his thoughts.

Frank tightened the grip he had on his chest. He looked at Biff, speaking through clenched teeth. "I feel so guilty for even thinking this but a part of me was hoping that was Joe... because then maybe I could accept the fact that he was dead." His breathing rate sped up as angry tears ran down his face. "I'm scared to death that we won't find him in time. I can't bear the thought of living without my little brother."

Biff batted the tears away from his own eyes; he couldn't blame Frank for the way he was feeling because he felt the same way. It was pure agony, plain and simple.

He cleared his throat and said, "How about I hold Hayden for you, while you take a couple of good swings at him. Believe me, I'm sure there's any number of people who'd like to get their hands on Hayden."

Frank nodded slowly to indicate he was listening. He looked down at the ground and began picking at the weeds in front of him.

Biff added thoughtfully. "I'll bet you anything that pain you have in your chest really is Joe, he's letting you know he's still here. Maybe it means we are getting close to finding him. We know the guy back there isn't Joe, but what if it's another clue?"

"Is that what you're trying to tell me Joe? Are you still with me?" As if in response, Frank suddenly felt that familiar ache in his chest. He smiled, knowing what it meant. "Hang on for me little brother. I promise I'll find my way to you."

Frank looked up at Biff. "Thank you, Biff, you've been a good friend through this." He replied gratefully. "And you're right we still have some work to do to bring my brother home."

Biff nodded in agreement.

The boys slowly rose to their feet. Frank finally pulled himself together, hanging on to the hope that his brother was still alive. He brushed the dirt off his jeans; he knew he needed to get control of himself and allow his investigative instincts to take over in order to deal with the situation at hand.

He added in a serious tone of voice. "Whether or not this leads us to Joe somehow," he turned to looked in the direction of the body. "Whoever he is, he's somebody's family. We need to find out who he is and what happened to him so we can get him back to his family. I don't want anyone to have to go through the hell I'm going through right now."

He sighed calmly, "The first thing we need to do is call the police."

"I'm already on it." Biff replied, taking his phone out of his pocket.

Gathering as much strength as he could, Frank ran back to the van and took a pair of gloves out of the glove compartment, before making his way back to the body. He knew not to touch or move anything until the authorities had a chance to examine the body but he wanted a chance to get in a bit of investigating himself, before the authorities got there.

He knelt back down beside the body. Again the sickening scent hit his nose but he managed not to concentrate on it as he focused on the task at hand.

"The police are on their way." Biff informed his friend as he came up beside him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking to see if there's any ID on him." Frank pulled a tattered brown wallet out of the man's pocket. "And according to this his name is Burt Winston." Frank said reading the driver's license.

He looked down at the dead man and noticed a red swollen mark on the left side of the his neck. "Do you see that red mark on his neck?"

"Yeah," Biff nodded noticing the red mark. "It looks like he might've been stung by something."

"He might have been taking a walk in the woods and got stung by a bee; some people are allergic to them. He got stung, had a bad allergic reaction which led to him getting lost or disoriented, he could've ended up falling asleep and dying." Biff used his hand to block his nose.

"That's a good theory." Frank looked at him and nodded. "How would you explain the white sheet?"

"Well he could've been hitchhiking; someone could have seen him and rather than giving him a ride they decided to rob and then kill him. They might've dragged him into the woods before covering him up."

"If that's the case then why didn't they take his cash and credit cards?" Frank rose to his feet showing his friend the contents of the wallet.

"Do you think someone killed him?"

They heard sirens off in the distance.

"I can't say anything for sure, but to me it looks like it could be a puncture wound from a needle." Frank added his opinion. "Once the authorities get here, we'll find out how the man died. In the meantime, we can start looking for clues; anything that might tell us a bit more. We'll have to hurry though, it's getting late; we won't have daylight for much longer."

To the boys' excitement they found a small set of footprints in the dirt as well as a trail of broken branches and scattered leaves. "It looks like he was dragged through the woods only to be dumped where we found him," Frank concluded.

"Could it have been done by a kid or a woman?" Biff commented. "I think a dude probably would've carried him in to the woods."

"It's possible." Frank reluctantly agreed. "However, we still can't say if it was a man or woman who was involved. We don't know the cause of death yet. We don't know if this guy was actually murdered."

He nodded slightly. "Although it does seem that way. Let's follow the path and see where it takes us."

The boys followed the path back up to the road, as Frank had suggested, where they found a set of tire tracks along the side of the road.

"Hey, I found something!"

Frank glanced up just in time to see Biff pick something up off the ground by the tracks. It was a small box of matches with a label for the Bellevue Motel on it. "Didn't we just pass this place, a couple miles back?" Frank asked.

"I believe so."

"Good job Biff, you found us a clue." Frank smiled as he praised his friend. "We're going to make a detective out of you yet."

"Hell yeah!" Biff cheered raising a fist in the air. "What can I say? I learned from the best detective duo ever. "He saw Frank's smile fade into a frown; he knew his friend was thinking about Joe. "I'm sorry; I probably shouldn't said that."

Biff mentally kicked himself for saying too much. When together, Frank and Joe were one hell of a team; they were a force to be reckoned with but now the duo wasn't complete. More than anything, Biff wanted to get the team back together.

"You know, this could be a sign we're heading in the right direction." Biff reminded his friend. He had to keep him motivated to keep going forward. "Like your dad said, we need to follow every lead we get on this case; well this could be one of them."

Frank simply nodded.

"I bet we'll find some answers at the Bellevue Motel."

"There's only one way to find out." Frank enfolded the matches in the palm of his hand. He rubbed his free hand over his eyes; his body was begging him for some rest but he knew he had to keep going, Joe was counting on him after all.

(OOOO)

By six o'clock the wooded area was swarming with law enforcement. That was when a stout, uniformed middle-aged man stepped out of a recently arrived cruiser.

"Hello, I'm Chief John Winslow of the Bellevue PD." He said holding his hand out to the boys who were standing by the tire tracks. "I understand you boys found a body."

"We did." Frank answered accepting the chief's handshake.

"We'll show you." Biff shook the chief's hand.

Now that the Chief was there, the boys could show the officers everything they'd found. They started off by first showing the officers the tire tracks they'd found. Following that was the set of footprints and lastly was the disturbed foliage that had ultimately led them to the body.

The Chief knelt down next to the body. He pulled the sheet back to get a better look at the old man's face. "Whew!" He immediately pulled out a handkerchief in order to shield his nose from the stench that was the body. "He must've been left out here in the hot sun for days."

He too noticed a red swollen mark on the side of the man's neck. "It looks like he may have been stung by something?"

"That was my theory." Biff replied. "But Frank here thinks it may've been done by a needle."

Frank said, also shielding his nose. "We found the man's ID, his name is Burt Winston." He handed the wallet he'd found to the police chief.

The Chief got back to his feet, a scowl on his face. Taking the wallet, he grumbled, "I hope you boys didn't compromise anything before we had a chance to investigate." They stepped back to let the paramedics check out the body.

"We didn't everything is as we found it." Frank replied evenly.

"Could I have your names?"

"Biff Hooper."

"Frank Hardy."

"I want to see some ID" the Chief demanded. Slowly, the boys pulled out their wallets to show the police chief their licenses. Studying them both for a minute, he handed them back, his gaze shifting from Biff to Frank.

"Hardy, Hardy, now why does that name sound familiar?" He rubbed a hand over his chin and began mulling the name over in his head. "Are you related to a Detective Fenton Hardy?

"Yes he's my father." Frank nodded as he slid his wallet back into his pocket.

"Aw yeah, now I see the resemblance." The chief concluded. "I've met him a few times; he's a good man."

"Thank you, he is."

"What were you boys doing here in Bellevue? And how did you come up on the body?"

"Looking for my brother," Frank answered as he thought of Joe. "We were on our way back to Bayport when we drove by the woods and saw the sheet on the ground."

"Who's your brother?"

"Joe Hardy."

"Joe Hardy, the boy missing from Bayport is your brother?"

"Yes, that's right."

The police chief nodded, acknowledging the information. "I want you to know, my men and I have been working tirelessly, alongside Chief Collig to help find your brother."

"Thank you..." Frank rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. He was physically and emotionally drained, his body was begging for rest in every way it knew how.

"Frank?" Biff asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Son, you don't look so good, are you alright?" Chief Winslow said noticing how deathly sick Frank looked. "Perhaps, we need to get one of the paramedics to check you out."

"I'm fine. I've been under the weather lately and with the added stress of Joe missing, it's not helping things." Frank willed himself to stay strong as he answered. "This whole thing with Joe is taking a toll on the family; we're all stressed out and worried sick. It's been two days and we still haven't heard anything."

Frank looked up as the paramedics zipped the body into the bag before lifting it onto a stretcher. "When I saw that white sheet on the ground…I thought for sure it was Joe." His voice trailed off.

Biff placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Is there any word on how the man died?" He asked one of the paramedics. He had to get Frank's mind off of Joe and back to the case at hand!

"Not yet, we'll only know that once we get the body to the morgue for examination." The male paramedic answered.

"Can you tell if the mark on the side of the man's neck was made by something that stung him?" Frank shook the thoughts out of his head; he was grateful to Biff for keeping him focused on the case.

"It looked more like a mark from a needle."

"Really," Frank's eyes widened as he replied.

"We'll only know more about how he died once we get the autopsy results."

"How long does an autopsy usually take?"

"I'd say probably about four hours. That's including all the paperwork."

The two friends watched as the paramedics loaded the body into the ambulance before it drove off.

Frank and Biff glanced at each other. "It looks like we're going to be here awhile; I'll give Dad a call and let him know what's going on." Frank pulled out his phone and called his father to update him on the meeting with Stanley O'Bryan and the current situation. Before hanging up Frank promised to let his father know anything he found out in regards to Mr. Winston.

"We also found this." He handed the box of matches to the police chief.

"Bellevue Motel?" The Chief read the label, "Of course, now I know why Burt Winston's name sounded familiar. We had a woman report her husband as missing three days ago. The couple runs the motel together; that's as good a place to start as any I guess." With that, the chief started to head to his cruiser.

"Chief Winslow, would it be alright if we accompanied you?" Frank asked, eager to find some answers. "We'd like to know a little more about Mr. Winston."

The Chief looked from Biff to Frank. "Well technically this is a police matter..."

"But Frank is a detective. We can help..." Biff cut in.

The chief held up his hand to stop him. "But considering who your father is, I'm going to make an exception this time. Having said that, you two are not to interfere with the investigation, is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Frank was grateful that his father was so well known, it came in handy every now and then.

(ooooo)

The boys followed the police chief to the motel. They got out of their vehicles and headed in the direction of the office building. There were only a few cars stationed in the lot. It was as he getting out of the car that Frank noticed a rusty looking Volkswagen parked there. He also noticed something on the front and back tires.

"There's dirt on the tires. Fresh dirt." He went over to the car and squatted down. He ran a hand along the ridges of the front tire. "The ridges match the imprints from the tire tracks we found on the side of the road."

"So what, you think the wife could've done it?" Biff asked.

Frank stood up wiping the dirt off his fingers. "Well it's possible and we can't rule anyone out. For all we know the car could've been stolen."

"Well let's go find Mrs. Winston and see what she knows." Chief Winslow suggested.

They made their way into the building where they found a short gray haired woman who appeared to be in her late sixties, sitting at the front desk watching a small television set.

She looked up from the screen as the three approached. "Hello, what can I do for you gentlemen?"

"Are you Mrs. Winston?" Chief Winslow said gently.

"Yes, I'm Marlene Winston."

"We found your husband."

The woman gasped as her hand flew to her mouth in shock. "You found Burt?"

"Yes, a couple miles away in a wooded area." The chief nodded towards the boys. "In fact it was these two young men that found him."

"Is he dead?"

"Yes, he is, I'm so sorry."

The old woman looked at them in silence.

"Mrs. Winston, I'm so sorry for your loss." Frank sympathized with the woman. He silently prayed to God that he wouldn't have to experience the level of grief she was now experiencing. He didn't want to think of the level of loss he'd feel if he lost his brother. "We...err...the police are going to do everything they can to find out what happened to him."

"I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind?" Chief Winslow asked. He took a pen and small note pad from his front pocket.

"Um, just a moment." Getting up, the woman walked around the front desk. Reaching the front door she flipped the OPEN sign over to read CLOSED. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"When was the last time you saw your husband?"

The woman hesitated, looking from the boys to the police officer. Finally she seemed to reach a decision as she blurted out, "The last time I saw my husband he left with some little tramp."

The boys' eyebrows rose at the unexpected comment.

"Burt, that no good cheating bastard. It's a wonder I didn't go and kill him myself." She ranted as angry tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. "For nearly thirty years, he snuck around drinking and meeting women. He would always deny it, but I knew. A woman always knows when her man is cheating."

"He'd make up excuses to go run 'errands'. He'd be gone for four hours and come back smelling of beer with lipstick stains on the collar of his shirt. I should've left his ass years ago; I only stuck around to help run the motel and raise our kids. Now they're all grown up and have families of their own. I don't know what I'm going to do now; guess I'll sell this place and move so I'm near my kids."

"You should've been here three days ago when these two ladies checked in." She scrubbed a hand over her face. "They were both in their thirties, I'd say. One had shoulder length blonde hair while her friend had short dark hair; Burt couldn't take his eyes off of them, especially the dark haired one. I thought he was going to overheat."

Frank glanced over at Biff to see his friend already looking back at him. "Do you think maybe it could be them?" Biff asked.

Frank's heart began to pound faster. Taking his phone out of his back pocket, he pulled up a picture of Nurse Matthews and showed it to Mrs. Winston. "Ma'am, is this one of the women?"

Mrs. Winston only looked at the photo for a minute before barking out a harsh laugh before spitting out. "Yeah, that's the tramp."

They had another lead, Frank thought. What did this all mean? It was becoming obvious that they were on the right track.

"Mrs. Winslow, do you have a record of their names?"

"Yes, I do." Going back to her desk, the woman typed something into the computer. She pushed the screen onto an angle so the three men could see it. "They registered under the names, Karen Daniels and CJ Jacobs."

"Did they use cash or credit in order to pay?"

"Cash, they paid in cash."

"That was a smart move on their part." Frank nodded. "Cash can't be traced."

"What time were they planning on checking out of here?"

"They didn't; they snuck out." The woman scoffed, "That was about three days ago, the night before Burt left with the girl. I found the car parked outside and no sign of my husband."

Frank just stared at the woman as he processed the information. Suddenly he realized he was feeling claustrophobic; the room seemed to get smaller as his airway seemed to narrow. He needed to get outside; he needed some air.

"Do you know this woman?" Chief Winslow asked Frank.

Frank didn't answer. "Will you excuse me for a second?" He glanced over at Mrs. Winston, with that Frank headed for the door.

Concerned at his friend's sudden exit, Biff turned to the woman. "We'll be right back." With that, he followed his friend. "Frank..." Biff started to approach his friend but Frank stopped him instead.

"I'll be okay Biff, I just need a minute."

"You sure?"

"Yes, just give me a minute."

Biff just nodded. Seeing that, Frank headed out the door, walking towards the parking lot. Biff stayed by the window to keep an eye on his friend. Then he saw Frank clutch at his chest, as he continued to pace back and forth in the parking lot.

'What is going on with him?" Chief Winslow asked coming up beside Biff.

"Yeah, he's okay; he just needs a minute." Biff replied never taking his eyes off Frank.

(OOOO)

Outside in the parking lot, Frank felt tired, his body screaming at him to rest. But he couldn't stop; he needed to keep going for Joe's sake. He had so much stuff on his mind, he needed to calm himself down before he fell over the proverbial edge.

Frank got out his phone and started dialing. His anxiety grew as he waited for his father to answer.

"Frank?" Fenton came on the line.

"Dad, oh thank God."

"Son, are you alright?"

"Dad, they were here!"

"What? Who?" Fenton was instantly alarm at the anxious tone in his son's voice.

"Nurse Matthews and Cindy Hayden checked into the Bellevue motel under the names Karen Daniels and CJ Jacobs." Frank replied as calmly as he could. "This happened around the same time as the fire at the hospital."

'Really, well that's interesting. You told me earlier about how you found a mark on Burt Winston's neck. Did you find out anything more about it?"

"We still haven't heard anything regarding the cause of death but so far it looks like he was either stung or injected with something. From the bit his wife told us, Mr. Winston left a few days ago with a woman who fits Nurse Matthews' description." Frank was met with silence at the other end of the line. "Dad are you still there?"

Finally, a heavy sigh came from his father. "Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry son." He huffed out. "I didn't want to tell you this over the phone."

"Tell me what?"

"I may have an idea of how Mr. Winston died."

Frank's grip tightened on the phone as his eyes grew larger. "What do you mean?"

Again, Fenton sighed. "Like I said, I didn't want to have to tell you this over the phone. As you know, Sam went to Southport to follow up on a lead on Karen Marshall and the subsequent death of Duncan Edwards."

Fenton began to reiterate what Sam had told him. "An autopsy was performed; it turns out Mr. Edwards was a diabetic. The reason he was in the hospital in the first place was a blood clot in his leg. Karen Marshall was the nurse assigned to his care; she gave him a large amount of insulin and it ended up killing him. This all happened a year ago on June 3rd around the same time she helped Cindy Hayden disappear from the hospital."

"But why would she kill him?"

"Duncan Edwards had an older brother, Delbert Edwards. He died seventeen years ago along with his teenaged son. At the time, Delbert was married to a Carol Matthews Edwards who ended up leaving her husband. There's a family history of drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence."

"Did you say Carol Matthews Edwards?" Frank repeated, just to be sure he'd heard his father correctly.

"That's right, she died of a drug overdose a few years after she'd left her family. It turns out the woman had a daughter who would've been Delbert Edwards's stepdaughter. At the time the daughter would've been seventeen; we know that girl today as our Nurse Matthews."

"Oh my god." Frank gasped at the bombshell of news. He gripped the phone tighter in his hand.

"There's more. Sam also found out that Duncan Edwards had a criminal record. He was a registered sex offender. He was arrested 10 years ago for two separate counts of having sexual relations with a girl under the age of fourteen."

Then a thought crossed Frank's mind. "Dad, what if something similar happened to Karen Daniels? What if Duncan Edwards or even his brother had done something to her? I mean revenge would be a perfect motive to kill them."

"That did cross my mind as well." Fenton agreed.

"Maybe the red mark really was done with a needle. What if he died the same way as Mr. Edwards? What if something happened between them, he might've tried to attack her or something. She could have injected him with some drug as an act of revenge; she's a nurse, she'd know what the right dosage to give him would be. He might've died as a result."

"It would make sense."

Frank felt as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough in the case. "Okay so what happened to Delbert Edwards and his son?"

"They were murdered as well."

"What, how?"

"They were both shot in the head before the house went up in flames."

Frank's breathing got heavier as his heart rate began to increase. "Isn't that the same way Ryan Hayden murdered the two police officers?" He thought aloud, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Yes." Fenton replied. He was met with silence. "Son, are you still there?"

He could hear his son's heavy breathing loud and clear. "Frank, answer me. Are you alright?"

"No." Frank finally came back on the line. "Dad… I can't stop thinking about Joe. These lunatics have him. I have these horrible thoughts running in my head, what if we don't find him in time…what if he's dead. I don't think I can live without him."

"Son, I want you to listen to me. Don't talk like that." Fenton cringed at Frank's words, he sounded tired and broken. "We're going to find your brother, I promise you that."

"Why don't you come home and get some rest? You'll feel better."

"I can't, not now."

"Frank?"

"Dad, I can't."

"Alright, just promise me you'll take care of yourself." The last thing Fenton said was, "Remember when we do find Joe- and we'll find him alive, I promise you that- the first person he's going to want to see is you. If he sees you sick it'll only make him worry all the more."

"I will Dad, I promise and I'll be home soon." Frank said before hanging up.

Biff and Chief Winslow walked out to the parking lot. Watching them approach him, Frank could see the concern on their faces. When they reached him, he told a deep breath and related everything his father had told him to them.

"Wow." Biff whistled. "This case is getting more and more complicated; it seems the more we dig up on these people the crazier it gets."

"So this woman, Karen Daniels, is a suspect in the case of the hospital fire in Bellevue." Chief Winslow summarized. "She's also the same nurse wanted by the Southport police, regarding a patient's death.".

"Yes that's correct. Being sexually abused at the age of seventeen by either Duncan Edwards or his brother, Delbert could have played a factor in her seeking revenge. She injected him with insulin in order to do it." Frank continued, "It's possible that Burt Winston died the same way. We know something definitely happened between them; she could've injected him with something that resulted in his death."

"I'll have forensics put a rush on this." Chief Winslow got his phone out. "We need definite proof of what happened."

Once he finished his call and put his phone away and took out a notepad and pen. "So let's go over our list of suspects. The other woman that was with Daniels was Cindy Hayden. She's Jack Hayden's wife and she apparently helped him to perform his vanishing act during the evacuation needed due to the fire she caused."

"That's correct." Frank replied. "There may be more people involved in the whole thing."

The Chief stopped writing and replied. "We did question Stanley O'Bryan the maintenance man from the hospital for almost two hours this morning." He shook his head. "He swears he's not involved with that fire."

Frank remembered his promise to Mr. O'Bryan. "I think we can eliminate him as a suspect."

The Chief narrowed his eyes at the Hardy boy. "What makes you say that?" He grumbled.

"Call it a hunch." Frank answered evenly, continuing on before the chief could question him further. "The way I see it, the suspects we need to focus on are Nurse Matthews, Cindy Hayden and the Hayden brothers, Jack and Ryan. Other people might've been in on Joe's disappearance but I think those four are the ones we need to focus on."

"Chief Winslow I'm sure you're aware of Jack Hayden's upcoming trial?"

"Yes, I am. The trial begins early Monday morning."

"My father and I strongly believe that Joe was kidnapped in order to keep our minds focused on him and off of the trial. Hayden's lawyer is trying hard to keep his client out of prison."

Frank felt sick as he answered the chief. "The people connected to Jack Hayden are proving to be very dangerous. I mean, Ryan Hayden murdered two police officers! It's possible that for now, they're keeping him alive somewhere but as soon as the trial's over they'll kill him and dump his body somewhere."

"It's going on 6 o'clock in the evening; we're running out of time...if we don't find Joe by morning..." Frank's voice trailed off, he had problems continuing what he needed to say. Finally, he brought a hand to his heart and choked out. "It'll be too late."


	13. Chapter 13

_Hello, first off I want to thank everyone for reviewing my last chapter. You're all wonderful and thank you to those who are reading, following, and favorites this story._

 _ **I also want to give a special thank you to our men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line for us every day. This chapter is dedicated to you. God Bless You**._

 _Here is my new chapter._ _Exciting stuff is about to happen for the Hardys. There is some strong language in here. I have an early holiday treat for you Joe Hardy fans. I've thought long and hard about who should be the one to find him. Of course Frank and Fenton would be the obvious choices, but then I decided to give it to Officer Con Riley, I felt like he deserves it after what he did._

 _But don't worry Joe will be reunited with his family, especially with Frank. And don't worry Callie fans I have not forgotten about her I've got something big planned for her. Right now it's all about Joe._

 _ **Please review I'd love to hear from you. What do you think of the story so far? How am I doing so far? :)**_

 ** _Happy Thanksgiving!_**

Aftermath chapter 13

"I'm here to see Jack Hayden."

"Visiting hours ended at 5pm it is now 6." The young officer grumbled as he continued typing on his computer at the front desk. "You'll have to come back tomorrow..."

"Do you know who I am Officer...Officer Davis." Bartend snapped reading the officer's badge.

"At the moment I don't care." Officer Davis looked up from his computer and glared at the man in front of him.

"I am Daniel Bartend, an attorney of law out of one of New York's biggest firms. I am here to prepare my client for his trial which begins tomorrow morning...if you don't let me see him...I'll have your badge!"

"Yelling at me is not going to get you what you want."

"Davis! What in the hell is..." Chief Collig's voice bellowed out, coming up to the front desk he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, it's you." He grumbled when he finally noticed the young lawyer.

"Chief Collig, I'm here to see my client." Bartend nodded towards Davis. "But this idiot with a badge is preventing me from doing so." He looked at the Chief. "I demand an apology for his rude conduct. And, need I remind you, that a lawsuit will be filed against this department if Detective Hardy interferes with this case. I can and will add incompetence of your officers as well..."

"Mr. Bartend," Chief Collig fired back, "I thought I told you, not to bring your arrogant ass in here and make threats towards my department." He cleared his throat. "Detective Hardy has compiled with your order of staying away from your client. His main focus right now is his family."

"As for my officer's behavior; I won't apologize. We're not in the best frame of mind right now, we're all very tired and on edge as we deal with the loss of our fellow officers. This morning I handled the daunting task of delivering the news to both Officers Jenko and Miller's families. And this was while trying to fend off the reporters who are hounding us for the details. We've been working non-stop, around the clock in order to both find the animal that killed them and find Joe Hardy."

"Rest assured, we are more than capable of completing our mission."

Unfazed by the Chief's statement Bartend repeated his demand. "Are you going to let me see my client or not."

The police chief cursed something under his breath. He huffed, "Fine."

"That's more like it." The lawyer smirked. "I'll be in the conference room, where I expect you to bring him to me." With that, Bartend straightened his tie before heading to the conference room, briefcase in hand.

Chief Collig glared at him. He really didn't like the guy. "Arrogant ass..." He cursed and stormed off.

(OOOO)

"Hayden get up, you have a visitor."

Hayden slowly opened his eyes. "Damn it." He cursed, at the spring poking his back from the cot he was laying on. Then he looked up, seeing Chief Collig and two of his officers through the bars.

"Who is it?" He growled.

"Your lawyer. We're here to take you to him."

Chief Collig took out his keys to unlock the cell door and went inside. "On your feet, turn around; hands behind you." He pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Swinging his feet to the floor, Hayden sat up, glaring at the officers.

"Get up! So we can get that lawyer's arrogant ass out of my precinct!"

The big burly man, leaned forward until his hands could touch his forehead as he fingered the bandage placed there. He smiled, thinking of the little performance he'd put on for the police chief and Fenton Hardy.

"Oh, how he enjoyed playing games with them! He swore he was going to get his revenge on them all, starting with Henry and the Hardy brothers. He looked down at the orange jumpsuit he was wearing. The trial was going to go in his favor. He wasn't going to prison and he was going to make damn sure of it.

He got to his feet and put his hands behind his back. He smiled, as the police chief cuffed his wrists. "You boys are getting a real kick out of this aren't you?"

"Oh yes, it's been a real joy having you here." the Chief countered sarcastically. "You've made quite an impact on everyone."

Hayden just laughed.

"You think it's funny now. You won't be laughing once we find your brother."

Hayden stopped laughing.

"My brother...what about him?"

Chief Collig coolly replied. "Oh, that's right you haven't heard."

"Your brother murdered two of my officers last night. Every officer in the country is looking for him right now." He glared at the former teacher. "If it turns out that you really did murder Joe Hardy then you'll be sharing a cell, right along with him."

He watched as Hayden's smile faded, anger flashing dangerously in his eyes.

A few minutes later, Chief Collig and his two officers arrived at the conference room, Hayden in tow. There, they found Bartend sitting at the table, his briefcase in front of him.

"Bartend, your client's here."

"Thank you gentlemen. Your service in most excellent." An arrogant smile spread across his face. "Now leave, I need to have a private counsel with my client."

Once Hayden was escorted to a seat and his wrists handcuffed to the table in front of him. Chief Collig spat at Bartend. "This is my department, of which I am in charge. You have fifteen minutes to counsel with your client, and, I'm placing these two officers outside this room."

He gestured at the officers standing beside him. "So don't try anything stupid." With that the three officers left the room, closing the door behind themselves.

There was a huge amount of tension in the room and it just kept mounting, neither man saying anything.

Bartend glanced up in Hayden's direction, a shiver ran through his body when he saw the icy stare Hayden was giving him. He began fidgeting in his seat. "L-let's get started shall we..." He gulped nervously.

"Shut the hell up." Hayden stated, breaking the silence.

"My plan was working out perfectly. The plan was to go out to that farm and kidnap my son and kill Joe Hardy out of revenge. In order to do that I had to escape from that retched mental hospital since I didn't have my brother with me...that left me with no other choice but to depend on you three for help...then everything started to work out we followed that SUV out to the farm...as luck would have it there was a party going on from what I gather was for my son. We watched them all head down to the barn."

"It was interesting to see that my son is now a blond." Hayden scrunched up his nose, his head bobbing slightly. "I suppose I could live with that. But the most entertaining part I enjoyed the most watching the Hardy brothers arguing with each other. It was the perfect distraction no one was paying any attention. So I broke into the house where I came upon the family dog. "I had to kill it; it would've drawn too much attention otherwise. So I lured the dog out to the stable with a piece of meat where I killed it."

"There I waited for the right time to make my move...but then as luck would have it Joe Hardy just happened to make his way to the stable. That's when I decided to change things and kidnap the Hardy kid to use as leverage in order to keep my son from testifying in the trial."

The handcuffs rattled a bit as Hayden leaned back as far as he could in his seat. " I'll do whatever it takes to keep from going to prison and that's why I'm practically killing myself with this insanity bit." He touched the bandage on his forehead to prove his point.

"Carolyn was supposed to sedate the kid and then you were supposed to help, Carolyn and Cindy take him to your cabin in New Haven and hold him there until the trial. The plan was perfect; it was foolproof! That is, until you mucked everything up!" He leaned forward fixing the lawyer with an icy glare. He whispered, "You had to go and shoot Joe Hardy!"

Bartend banged his fist on the table. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice into a near whisper. "I told you I was desperate! It was the only thing I could think of that would stop him."

"Have you heard from Ryan lately?" Hayden abruptly asked.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I just found out from the chief of police that my brother murdered two officers last night. Why did he have to resort to that! Tell me Danny boy, how did that happen!"

The young lawyer's face paled. He gulped nervously. "Carolyn ratted me out. She called and told him what I had done to the Hardy kid."

"You see what your stupid ass mistake cost... me." The burly man said seething in anger. "If anything happens to my brother...I'm holding you responsible."

"When did you talk to him?"

Bartend turned to the door to make sure no one was there. He turned back. "Early this morning."

"Where is he now?"

He again gulped nervously. This part was not going to go well. Oh what the hell, Bartend huffed out. "Looking for Joe Hardy and... your wife."

A heavy silence filled the air.

"That doesn't sound good, Danny boy. Explain now."

"Ryan caught Joe Hardy trying to escape the cabin. They got into a fight and Hardy managed to knock Ryan out. When your brother came to, he saw Cindy driving off in his car alongside the Hardy kid. He and Carolyn are out looking for them as we speak."

Is that it?"

"No, there's more."

Again Bartend turned to the door to make sure no one was there. "Ryan wanted me to give you the following message: 'Cindy told Joe Hardy everything'. He said you'd know what it meant."

Bartend watched as his client's face went from a deep red to near purple with rage right before his eyes. "FUCKING BITCH!" Hayden exploded, his bound hands attempting to knock the table over in a fit of rage.

"Calm the hell down!" Bartend immediately rose to his feet.

The door opened immediately. "What's going on in here?!" one of the officers demanded.

'We're fine. Everything is fine. I need five more minutes with my client." He sat back down to face Hayden calmly.

"You get five more minutes but if we hear another ruckus your client is going straight back to his cell while you get out of here."

As soon as the officer closed the door, Bartend asked, "What does your brother's message mean? Is there something I need to know...something about your past? Is it something that could cost us this trial?"

"It means if that kid talks to the police, we are screwed." Hayden fired back. He took a deep breath in order for his chest to expand. "That includes you."

Bartend swallowed a lump in his throat and asked calmly. "Why don't we get back to discussing the trial? Don't forget your son is the star witness. Henry's testimony could put you away for 25 years, you know."

"I'm not worried about him." Hayden replied simply. "I can handle my son, he won't testify against me. Right now I want this matter with my wife and Joe Hardy taken care of."

Bartend turned back to Hayden as he once again lowered his voice. "You may not have to do anything to Joe Hardy. There's a possibility he might already be dead."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"From what Ryan told me the kid is in need of serious medical attention. Carolyn removed the bullet from his leg. The wound got infected. If he doesn't stay off his swollen leg, the combination of the infection and fever could kill him. It's been two days and nobody's heard a thing."

"Carolyn thinks that Cindy will go with her natural instincts and help Joe by trying to get him to a clinic or hospital. She originally wanted to try and pass him off as her son, but Carolyn told her it'd be too risky with the police looking for them. I'm sure she'll try to do it in this situation as well."

A heavy silence filled the room as Bartend waited for Hayden to speak.

Instead, a slow evil grin spread across Hayden's face as he began to chuckle uncontrollably, breaking the silence. "Carolyn's right. My wife will follow her motherly instincts. In fact she's probably on her way back to Bayport."

"She can't be that stupid." Bartend shook his head. "Bayport's the last place she should be; the police will grab her for sure. It won't take them long to do it."

"Oh but she is. Not only is my wife a stupid bitch, she's also very predictable; she won't leave her son for anyone or anything. Henry is her weakness."

"Danny boy, as soon as you leave here I want you to get a message to my brother." The big man ordered. "Tell Ryan that he and Carolyn are not to set foot in Bayport. They need to disappear for awhile."

"O-okay, then what?" The young lawyer had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"You are going to clean up the mess you made. You better not fail me this time."

Bartend huffed, "Look, I told you, I'll do what I have to do to help you win this trial. I even managed to get Fenton Hardy off the case, what more do you want from me?"

"Check all the clinics and hospitals in Bayport. I don't want to hear, 'Joe Hardy might already be dead.' I want _proof_ that he's dead."

"And if he's not...?"

Hayden leaned forward so that he and Bartend were looking straight at each other. "You can't be that stupid. Figure it out."

Bartend's eyes widened. "You're suggesting that I kill... no!...I'm not...I won't!"

"It's either you kill Joe Hardy or I kill you."

(OOOO)

Con pulled his cruiser up to a red stoplight at an intersection. He was thankful the traffic was light for a Sunday evening. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, he glanced up at the time on the dashboard 6:00 pm it read. Chief Collig had his department out in full force in search for the killer that had taken the lives of their fellow officers, Jenko and Miller. Every officer across the state wanted a piece of Ryan Hayden.

"I can't stop thinking about Jenko and Miller. It's not fair. They were good cops cut down in the prime of their lives. "Officer Baker said from the passenger seat.

"Did you know Mark had a six year old son and his wife is three months pregnant with their second? How is she going to raise those kids on her own? Carla just graduated with top honors from the academy. Bayport PD was the first precinct for her to call home. Who knew that her first official assignment would be her last?"

"That's the gritty part of the job nobody talks about." Con replied. "You never know what to expect when you get that call if it will be your last. You kiss your kids and your spouse goodbye and step outside into another day on the job."

"You finally walk in your front door four hours later than you were supposed to. You take off your uniform and slowly transform back into yourself. Tired from a long day, you lay down to go to sleep. Your last thoughts are about how happy you are to have the opportunity to be a police officer, and how thankful you are that you made it home safely one more day. Unfortunately not every police officer gets a happy ending."

"I guess that's why I'm still single. It's hard to have a wife and kids when you're in this line of work."

"Yeah, I hear you; I thank my lucky stars for my girlfriend." Baker replied. "Angie's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've been thinking about asking her to marry me." He shook his head. "But after what happened to Jenko and Miller, I just don't know. I love being a cop but I'm not sure if the job is worth it. I don't want her to have to go through the pain of losing me."

"You're right; what happened to Jenko and Miller isn't fair." He turned and looked at his partner. "Baker, it is worth it. Don't let the job consume you like it has me. You have to find a balance between the job and your personal life. Take my advice; if you love that girl, don't let her go. Marry her. I can assure you that Jenko and Miller's families are not alone in this. We will take care of them. Their deaths will not be in vain. We will get Ryan Hayden for taking their lives."

"It's the same thing for Fenton Hardy; he's a retired cop. He may be a PI now but he still bleeds blue, just like us. We're going to be there for him and his family as well."

"Do you think there's a chance the kid is still alive?" Baker asked the dreaded question. "I mean, it's been two days..."

"There's always a chance he's alive." Con cut in. "just like any child that is missing...we never give up looking for them. We'll never stop looking for Joe." The officer felt sick to his stomach; he'd never forgive himself if the unthinkable happened to Joe. He didn't even want to think about the possibility of Joe being dead... he had to be alive, he just had to be. It had been Con's careless mistake that had led to Joe going missing in the first place. He made a vow to himself that he'd do anything he could to help find the missing teen.

Before Officer Baker could respond, a dark blue Chevy whizzed past them, flying through the intersection. "Isn't that the description we got of Ryan Hayden's car?"

Without a second thought, Con took off after the car, lights flashing and siren blaring. It was only two blocks later, that the two officers pulled the vehicle over into a vacant parking lot, Con parking behind the car.

"Baker, run the plates."

"Yes, sir."

Baker got back to Con a few seconds later. "You're not going to believe this. We were right; the car is registered to Ryan Hayden."

"Radio for backup."

Officer Baker nodded and followed the order.

 _Con took a deep breath as he climbed out of the car, never taking his eyes off of the vehicle in front of him. The words he'd just spoken to his partner flashed through his mind, You never know what to expect when you get an emergency call. You pray it won't be your last._

"Slowly exit the vehicle with your hand above your head where I can see them!" Con reached back with his hand to undue the strap of the holster of his gun and cautiously approaches the vehicle.

The car door opened slowly and to his surprise, a blonde haired woman climbed out. And it wasn't just any woman, he recognized right off the bat...it was Cindy Hayden!

He could see she was trembling, due to crying so hard. "Officer please...please... help him!"

"Help who? Is there someone else in the car?"

"Yes...my son...he's in the backseat...he's dying...please help him."

Her son? As far as Con knew, Henry was still out at the Morton farm...unless...? It was hard to see through the tinted windows but he could vaguely make out a person's silhouette as they lay in the backseat. His heart skipped a beat as he opened the door. He couldn't believe his eyes; there unconscious on the backseat his hair matted from sweat, was Joe!

He immediately knelt down, placing two fingers at the pulse point in Joe's neck. "He has a weak pulse. Joe's alive." Feeling his forehead, Con knew that Joe was running a major fever, his forehead was burning to the touch.

"Joe?" He gently shook his shoulder. "It's Con. Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Joe!"

Again he shook him.

"Joe!''

And then finally Joe began to stir. "F-frank," he whispered.

The officer breathed a sigh of relief, just hearing the boy's voice. Then Con's eyes trailed down to the blood on Joe's left pant leg. Reaching down to feel it, he knew it was fresh. The pant leg was almost soaked through.

"I'll call for an ambulance!" Baker shouted after he handcuffed Cindy Hayden and placed her in the back of the cruiser.

"No!" Con shouted as he tore off his belt and wrapped it tightly around Joe's leg to help stop the bleeding. "Call dispatch… cancel backup...tell them we're on our way to the hospital with Joe Hardy!"

"We're taking him in?" Baker questioned. "Should we try to move him?"

"Yes, we're taking him to the hospital! By the time the ambulance gets here, he may be gone. We have no choice." Con stated. "We have Joe Hardy literally in our hands and there's no way in hell I'm letting him out of my sight."

"Put Cindy Hayden up front with you! Then get your butt back here and help me carry Joe to the car. I'll be riding in the back with him."

Baker did as Con had ordered. Once he had Cindy Hayden secured in the front seat of the cruiser, Baker ran back to the Chevy and helped Con carry Joe carefully into the back of the cruiser. Rushing up front he slid behind the wheel, taking off once again with the lights and siren blaring en route to the hospital.

A painful moan escaped Joe's lips followed by a, "F-frank..."

"Hang on Joe." Con breathlessly replied, as he cradled him in his lap. "You're going to be fine." He reached into his back pocket in order to call Fenton.

"Detective Fenton Hardy." The detective answered the call.

"Fenton, it's Con. I've got him." Con spoke as calmly as he could.

"You've got who?" Fenton was instantly alarmed by the officer's anxious tone of voice.

"Joe! I've got Joe!"

There was silence on the other end of the line.

Fenton's heartbeat started pounding faster. "Did you say you found Joe?" He glanced up anxiously at Sam who was standing shock still in front of his desk. Sam's eyes widened when he heard Fenton's question.

"Yes I did."

Tears began to seep out of the corners of Fenton's eyes. He didn't know what to say or think. "Is he..." He choked out. "Is he...?"

He's alive. Badly hurt but alive. He's in my arms as we speak."

"Is... he awake? Can I talk to... him?" Fenton gripped the phone until his knuckles turned white.

"Hold on."

"Joe...Joe...can you hear me?" Fenton could faintly hear Con say. "Joe, come on...wake up...I have your Dad on the phone."

Con held his phone to Joe's ear. "Joe, say something to your Dad."

Fenton could faintly hear the blare of the siren on the other end of the line. Next came a bit of grunting, presumably from pain as well as some heavy breathing before he finally heard the most beautiful sound in the world. "D-ad..." It sounded weak but he heard it, the sound of his youngest son.

Fenton rose to his feet as he continued to talk to his son. "We're on our way to the hospital. Everything's going to be okay, just hang on a little longer." He soothed his son over the phone as he did his best to stay in control. "Just hang on for us Joe. You hear me? We'll be there soon." Fenton wanted to literally jump through his phone in order to get to his son that much faster. Joe sounded so far away!

"F-frank. Need F-rank..."

"He'll be there too." Fenton wiped his tears away. "I promise."

"Hurry..." was the last thing Joe said before he went silent.

"Joe!"

"He's passed out." Con hurriedly came back on the line. "Get everyone out to the hospital."

"Let's go!" Fenton said to Sam as soon as he got off the phone with Con. Fenton began dialing Frank's number as he and Sam hurried out the door. He prayed to God, he'd be able to get his elder son out to the hospital on time!


	14. Chapter 14

_Hello everyone sorry it took me awhile to update been having some computer problems so bare with me. First off, I want to thank you for leaving me awesome reviews, following, favorites or just reading. Here's my next chapter I know you were expecting a Frank and Joe reunion this chapter is everyone finding out about Joe and what's going on with Henry. I promise the next chapter Frank and Joe will be reunited :)_

Aftermath chapter 14

"Bartend, your time's up." Chief Collig entered the conference room with his two officers in tow. He wanted to personally escort Hayden back to his cell, as well as get that arrogant ass of a lawyer out of his precinct.

"Very well, I think we've covered everything we need for the trial." Bartend replied, rising to his feet. Jack," he turned to his client as he cleared his throat. "I'll see you tomorrow. Everything's going to work out just fine." Silence and a glare from the big man was the only response he got.

"Let's go Hayden, time to go back to your cell." The chief ordered. It didn't take long for the officers to get Hayden on his feet, his hands cuffed securely behind him. They began to escort him out of the room and in to the hallway.

"Chief!" Officer Davis came rushing up to them.

"What is it Davis?"

The officer answered breathlessly, "A call just came in to dispatch... Riley and Baker just pulled over Ryan Hayden's car. They also called for backup... Then canceled it."

"What the hell for?!"

"They have Cindy Hayden in custody." Davis glanced around at everyone surrounding him before glancing back at the Chief uneasily. "They're on their way to Bayport General with Joe Hardy. He's badly hurt but alive. They couldn't wait for an ambulance."

"He must be in serious condition if they couldn't wait for an ambulance." The Chief was concerned but he was doing his best to stay calm as he thought of the youngest Hardy.

In light of this news, he had to stay professional and take care of the job at hand. The Chief began to bark out orders, "Davis, you, Riggs and Connor get Hayden back to his cell." He nodded at the three officers standing in front of him. "I'm going to arrange it so the hospital is beefed up with security. It'll be so tight, it'll take an army to get through."

Knowing Fenton Hardy as well as the Chief did, he knew the detective would make the safety of his family his top priority. Chief Collig could take that one thing off the detective's shoulders by helping him out since the Bayport police could easily provide him with that reassurance. "That'll be one less thing for the detective to worry about."

Bartend's face was pale. How the hell was he supposed to get into the hospital in order to kill the Hardy kid? He glanced at Hayden who glared back at him. Bartend gulped nervously. He had to figure it out on his own but one way or another, someone was going to lose their life.

(OOOO)

"Well, Frank, it looks like your father was right on the money." Chief Winslow got off his phone. "I just got Mr. Winston's autopsy results back from forensics."

Frank and Biff were in the process of helping the chief search the hotel room where Nurse Matthews and Cindy Hayden had stayed. To their disappointment, Mrs. Winston had already cleaned the room. The boys stopped what they were doing in order to give the police chief their full attention.

"I take it he wasn't stung by a bee," Biff commented, seeing the grim expression of the Chief's face.

The Chief shook his head. "A high dose of insulin was found in Mr. Winston's bloodstream. It was also discovered the man was a diabetic."

"Just like Duncan Edwards." Frank replied.

He was still reeling from everything his dad had told him, the last time they'd talked.

"Damn it!" Frank exploded in frustration. He kicked over the trashcan by the nightstand. "Joe was in these people's hands!"

"Joe's dead...it's my fault." He sat down on the bed as he felt an ache in his heart thinking about his little brother. "I didn't protect him like I should've. I've been so caught up in my own shit."

"I failed him. I didn't do my job..." His breathing began to speed up as he began to panic. "From the very beginning I could've stopped the abuse Hayden had inflicted on him that day at school."

The thought of Hayden sent a burning hatred through the older Hardy boy. "I'm going to make it up to him. I will avenge my brother's death if it kills me; I will get the people responsible for taking Joe's life. That's a promise."

A firm hand landed on his shoulder, causing Frank to jump. "Frank!" Biff's voice brought him out of his dark thoughts.

Biff knelt down in front of him "Frank, hey, take it easy. This is not your fault." He was doing his best to stay calm but he wasn't going to lie.; seeing how pale his friend was scaring the shit out of him.

"Dude, you've gotta stop thinking like that. Joe's not dead."

"That irrational talk doesn't sound like the Frank Hardy I know. You're a of calm and rational thinking. You need facts and logic, remember? You need proof, solid proof. We haven't found Joe's body yet so there's a chance he's still alive. You have to believe that. We both know Joe is one tough son of a bitch. We are so close to finding him. I just know it."

Frank took a deep breath, finally getting himself under control. "Thank you, Biff. I do believe it." Frank answered as he rubbed a hand over his aching chest. Hold on Joe.

Then something under the nightstand caught his eye. "What is that?" He reached down and picked it up. It was a box of blond hair dye.

"Looks like you found us a clue, Frank." Biff replied. He was hoping this clue was a good sign that would keep Frank's mind on the case and not drift into dark thoughts.

"Hair dye?" Chief Winslow questioned.

"What could that mean?"

"It means it's possible that the two ladies may have changed their appearance." Frank answered verbally, rubbing his eyes as he was starting to feel weaker and weaker. "I need to call Dad... and tell him about this...and the autopsy report..."

Chief Winslow cleared his throat and came up to the boys. "I'll call your father and let him know what's happening. I will also tell him that I'm taking you to the hospital and have a doctor check you out."

"No, I'm all right. Dad doesn't need another thing to care about. His focus has to be on Joe." Frank sighed and shook his head. "We have to keep looking for him." Shakily, he rose to his feet, Biff hovering beside him just in case he needed a helping hand. "We can't stop now. We're so close..."

"Son, you are in no condition to do much of anything right now." The chief fought back, not wanting anything to happen to the teen. "You're sick too! You need to rest."

"No." Frank refused. "If you force me to go, I'll just refuse medical treatment. I'm eighteen, I don't require parental consent."

"You're the one who's going to end up dead, if you keep going on like this. How are you going to help your brother then?"

"Then so be it!" Frank exclaimed. "One way or another I'll be with Joe."

Biff's eyes widened, knowing what his friend meant by that.

Frank's phone ringtone rang loudly, cutting the police chief off, not allowing him time to argue with the teen.

Frank answered. "Dad..."

"Frank, get back to Bayport now!"

Frank gripped the phone. "What...?" He shot a startled look at Biff before turning his attention back to his father. "Joe's been found. He's alive but badly hurt. He's on his way to the hospital. He's asking for you..." "I'm on my way!" Frank answered before disconnecting the call. He looked excitedly at his friend and the police chief. "Joe's been found...he's on his way to the hospital. I've got to go!"

(OOOO)

Six o'clock that evening found Chet lying on his bed contemplating the ceiling. He was furious at Jack Hayden for what he'd done to Duke. The dog had been another member of his family, and Chet missed him very much. Although he was no stranger to death and despair, it seemed as though he couldn't get a break from it; everything he loved and held dear was slowly being taken away from him.

It had been only a year since his little sister was killed, and he missed her very much. It still hurt him every time he thought about her; it felt as though the horrible day had only been yesterday.

He and his parents had just started to settle down and get back to a new normal. Then, wham! The nightmare that was Hayden had just ended with Joe being abducted; it'd been two days now and there still hadn't been any word.

He was trying to stay hopeful that Joe was alive, he couldn't get over just how deathly sick Frank had been when he'd left his house. He prayed that both of the Hardy brothers would come back alive.

Chet's mind quickly turned to Henry Jacobs. He felt his blood boil, just thinking the kid's name. He was the son of the ex-teacher, Jack Hayden. When he'd first met Henry, he'd felt sorry for him due to the abuse he went through courtesy of his father. Chet was still angry with the man for the way he treated his son.

After all, it was only a few weeks ago that the police, along with Frank and Joe, had found Henry at home, beaten to within an inch of his life. Henry had almost died at the hands of his own father; it was only by some miracle that Henry had recovered, physically speaking, in the hospital.

Henry had had to be removed from his home and Chet's parents had volunteered to take the kid in and become his new foster parents. Chet had been okay with that, until Henry's obsession with Joe had started to surface. And all because Joe had done what any normal human being would do and came to Henry's rescue when he'd found out the younger teen was being abused.

Henry had recovered physically but mentally was a whole different story. Chet and his friends had gotten a bit of a taste of Henry's behavior when he'd mistreated them at the hospital. At first the friends had passed his behavior off as an effect of everything Henry had been through with his father. Now however, they were past that line of thinking.

He, Biff and Frank had begun to really worry over Henry's behavior; in their opinion Henry's obsession with Joe was past the dangerous point. It'd all started when Henry had drawn a picture depicting Joe as a superhero which then led to his negative reaction after Biff's punching Joe's shoulder. The most concerning thing of all though was Henry's going and dyeing his hair blond so that he looked like Joe.

Joe of course was in a bit of denial about the whole thing. The whole matter had put the Hardy brothers at odds with each other and that made Chet angry. He did not like to see his friends getting hurt like that.

Chet had already concluded a couple things about Henry. He was a manipulative and cunning person. It had been two days since Henry had come to live with Chet's family and in that time he'd pretty much kept his distance, not saying all that much to Chet and his father.

It hadn't taken long for Henry to wrap Chet's mother around his finger. Of course, Donna would fall over herself trying to please him and give him whatever he wanted. He'd successfully convinced her to take him out on a shopping spree earlier this morning. It was only around noon that the pair had returned home. In fact, his Royal Highness was currently in his room unpacking the ten shopping bags full of clothes.

Chet could still picture the big grin on Henry's face as he and Chet's mother walked into the house carrying armloads of shopping bags; and of course, they were all for Henry. There were new clothes, shoes and other accessories, even a few items of Spider-Man memorabilia to decorate Henry's new room.

Charles Morton hadn't been too thrilled about the fact that his wife had maxed out her credit cards in order to pay for the items. Donna had just argued that it was worth it; she wanted to make sure Henry had everything he needed in order to make him feel at home.

Chet supposed that his mother was just trying to fill a void in her heart that had previously been filled by Iola. Chet didn't like it. If that kid thought he was going to be able to take advantage of his mother, he had another thing coming.

Suddenly a loud CRASH! startled Chet out of his thoughts. He sat up, disturbing Ginger who was lying on the floor at his feet. She leapt up and began barking, sensing that something was wrong.

Chet swung his legs over the bed, reaching down to stroke the collie's head soothingly. "It's okay girl, it's okay." The dog finally quieted down as Chet got up and hurried out of his room to investigate the sound.

He glanced down both ends of the hallway before his eyes landed on his sister's bedroom door. It was wide open; someone was in his sister's room. It must've been his mother, wanting to spend some time alone with her late daughter.

Chet hurried over to his sister's room. Glancing inside, his heart skipped a beat as he spied Henry standing in front of his sister's dresser, holding a picture frame. Looking down at the floor, Chet could see pieces of a shattered white porcelain horse.

"What are you doing in here?" Chet demanded, striding into the room. "No one is allowed in this room."

Henry whirled around, startled. He set the picture frame back down onto the dresser. "Chet, I-I'm sorry. Your mother said I could come in here..."

Chet pointed a finger at his chest, replying in disbelief. "My mother said you could come in here?"

He was surprised at hearing this, it didn't sound like something his mother would do. Iola was a very sensitive topic for her. Her room was off limits to everyone; it had been that way since the day she'd died. He narrowed his eyes at the kid. What was Henry trying to pull now?

Henry nodded slowly. "She did. She said that now that I was a part of the family, I needed to know about Iola. When we were out shopping, she told me she had a sixteen year old daughter who'd died a year ago. She didn't tell me how or why it happened. All she said was that Iola was a good, kind and caring person. I came in here because I was curious and I wanted to get to know her better."

"My little sister was the best. I miss her very much." Chet quickly swiped the tears away from the corners of his eyes. It hurt like hell to say her name.

"Chet, I-I'm sorry about the horse." Henry stuttered out. "It was an accident; I bumped it with my elbow." He bent down to start picking up the broken pieces. "I'll clean it up, and buy you a new one."

"You can't. You'd have to go to Berlin to find one." Chet grumbled. It was taking everything in him to stay calm. Henry was stepping into a territory that he didn't need to be in, his little sister's life. "And I doubt you'd find one because it was one of a kind."

"Berlin?" Henry stopped what he was doing. He looked down at the broken pieces in front of him.

"Yes Berlin, as in Berlin Germany." Chet sighed as he tried to explain everything calmly. "Frank and Joe were there a few years ago working on a case with their father." He knelt down and began gathering up the broken pieces. "Joe found this white, porcelain horse in an antique shop. He bought it as a gift for my sister because he knew she loved horses."

"You see, Iola wasn't just my sister; she was also Joe's girlfriend."

"I saw the picture of them together." Henry nodded at the picture frame on the dresser. "They looked very happy."

"They cared about each other very much."

"How come I've never heard Joe talk about her?"

"It's a very sensitive subject for him." Chet answered sadly.

"Maybe I should talk to him about it…"

"No!" He dropped the broken pieces he'd just picked up and looked straight at Henry. "You can't do that; it is something that is forbidden to do unless Joe's the one who brings her up. It is very hard for my parents and I to talk about Iola; it's the same way with Joe. Joe will only talk about her when he's ready and everybody knows that when he does, it'll be with Frank."

He emphasized his last point, making sure it was very clear. "And don't ever, EVER ask him about how she died. When Frank and Mr. Hardy do find Joe- and they WILL find him alive; whatever state he's in physically and mentally, the last thing he'll want to do is talk about Iola. If you really are Joe's friend like you claim to be, then you'll listen to what I'm saying and respect it."

Henry looked at him for a moment. How dare you, he thought, telling me what I should or shouldn't do. He didn't like this ultimatum Chet was giving him. It made him angry.

Now he really wanted to find out why Iola's death was a topic that was off limits. It must be very painful for Joe, Henry figured, if Chet was forbidding him from asking about it. Henry knew though, that if Joe needed someone to confide in, it should be him, not Frank. He ran an agitated hand through his blond hair, his eyes darkening at the thought of the elder Hardy boy. He hated Frank; he was in his way. If Frank were to go away and never come back, it would be perfectly fine with him.

He softened his gaze and answered Chet as sincerely as he could. "I won't ask Joe about Iola." He crossed his fingers behind his back before saying, "I promise."

Henry gasped, his eyes widening as a thought entered his mind. "Joe's going to be so angry that I broke his porcelain horse."

"He might be." Chet replied.

Chet's parents suddenly appeared in the room's doorway before he could say anything else. "Oh no!" Donna gasped, spying the white porcelain horse shattered into pieces on the floor.

"What's going on in here?" Charles demanded his face red with anger. He glanced down at the shattered white porcelain horse. "How did that happen?"

Henry's face paled his eyes widened and he started backing away from him. "I-I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! It was an accident!" He cried sniffing back tears, "Don't hit me please! I didn't mean it! I-I'm sorry!"

Charles shook his head. "No, Henry, son, I'm not going to hit you." He could see the fear in the boy's eyes so he quickly backed away as his angry ebbed away, feeling guilty for his outburst.

Donna knelt down and pulled the boy into a warm, motherly hug. "Oh honey. Charles isn't going to hit you. Nobody here is going to hurt you. He cares about you, we all do. You're okay."

"No he doesn't!" Henry cried in her arms. "He hates me; Chet hates me, just like Frank and J-Jack! They hate me!"

All of a sudden Henry grabbed at his chest, gasping for air as his airway constricted. "I... can't... breathe!"

"Henry, you're having a panic attack. Take slow and steady breaths. Calm down." Donna consoled her foster son. "You're okay. You're safe." She turned to her husband. "Charles, I want you and Chet to leave the room."

Chet rose to his feet. What was happening? Was Henry faking this or was he really having a meltdown. He could see the tears in Henry's eyes, so maybe he wasn't faking it.

"Come on Chet let's go down to the kitchen. I'll make some coffee." Charles laid a hand on his son's shoulder and began to escort him back out into the hallway.

"Wait," Chet knelt back down and gathered up the broken porcelain pieces. Getting back to his feet Chet looked back at his mother before finally exiting the bedroom.

His mother couldn't see his expression as her back was to him, her arms cradled around Henry. "Take slow and steady breaths, Henry. Calm down." He heard his mother say to him. "You're okay. You're safe."

Looking over Donna Morton's shoulder, Henry smiled up at Chet. Then, it was gone in a flash as Henry continued to cry in Chet's mother's arms.

(OOOOO)

Charles Morton placed a cup of coffee in front of his son before he sat down at the table. He slowly took a sip of his coffee. "Chet, do you what to talk about it?"

Ignoring the cup of coffee Chet grumbled something under his breath as he began to glue the pieces of the porcelain horse. He finally looked up at his father. "I'm fine, just thinking about Joe and Frank. I wish there was news."

"I know. We're all thinking about them. What the Hardy family is going through right now is a horrible situation". He patted Chet's hand. "You know Fenton and the police are working hard to find him."

"I know. The waiting is just hard."

Ginger padded her way over to the table, resting her head in Chet's lap. He reached down to stroke the dog's head. He knew she was missing her friend Duke.

"This isn't just about Frank and Joe." Charles noticed the grim look on his son's face. "It's also about Henry isn't it? I know having him here has been quite an adjustment for you."

Chet squeezed some glue onto one of the horse's front legs and then held it in place, only to have it fall apart when he let go. Out of frustration, he shoved the remaining pieces out of his way before resting his crossed arms on the table.

"Mom seems adamant about making Henry a part of our family." Chet blurted out. "But you and Mom can't adopt him."

He cringed at the idea of Henry being a part of his family. That wasn't going to happen. He wished Frank was here so he could talk to him. But he wasn't; he was where he needed to be, looking for Joe. He'd told Frank he could handle it and he could; he had to for their families' sakes.

"I know that in the past you've talked to both me and Iola about adopting a kid. At the time, we were fine with it. It's just...not now. Henry's not right for our family; he treats us like crap and is taking advantage of mom. You saw all the stuff she bought him."

He adamantly shook his head, "And Iola...when I saw him in her room that was the last straw for me."

Charles just looked at him for a second. Finally, he answered, "To be honest with you Chet, I do have some mixed feelings about Henry. I don't seem to be getting anywhere with him; hell he had a meltdown just thinking I was going to hit him. And I really don't like the idea of him taking advantage of your mother."

"When Fenton Hardy came to us and asked if we'd take Henry in, I was all for adopting a kid and still am. Having said that, I think we jumped the gun a little too quickly." Charles Morton sighed. "Maybe Henry's not right for us. It's obvious that he needs more help than what we can give him. For your mother's sake we're going to need to do this carefully."

"Dr. Reese is on her way out for a therapy session with Henry. We'll talk to her when she gets here and see what she has to say. I'll also speak to Fenton and see about finding a new place for Henry to stay." He rested a hand on top of his son's. "That might have to wait though because Carl Sims is also on his way out so he can start preparing Henry for the upcoming trial."

Just then the doorbell rang. Charles got up to answer it. "Chet, your friends are here."

Chet had a wide grin on his face as he turned in his seat just as Tony, Phil and Seth walk into the kitchen.

"I'll leave you alone with your friends." Charles left the room to head outside, Ginger trotting along behind him.

Chet grinned at the sight of his friends. "Boy, am I glad to see you guys."

The three boys exchanged looks. "Is everything okay?" Tony asked, concerned. "Has there been any news on Joe?"

"No, I wish there was something."

Phil looked down at the kitchen table, seeing the broken splinters. "Isn't that the horse Joe gave Iola?"

Chet nodded.

"What happened to it?"

"Henry broke it."

Tony's eyes widened. "You mean he was in her room?"

"Yes, and that's not all he's done." Again, the trio of friends glanced at each other, concern in each of their expressions. They each took a seat at the table as Chet began to fill them in on Henry's latest stunt.

When he was finished, Tony and Phil sat back as they absorbed everything Chet had told them. They were angry, hearing about Henry treating Chet and his father like crap while taking advantage of his mother. They didn't like what they'd heard about Henry invading Iola's space and hoped the younger teen would listen to Chet and not bring up her death around Joe.

"Chet, I know Frank's not here, for you to talk to." Phil began gently. "We are here for you."

"Yeah, you have our support." Tony added.

"Thanks guys."

Seth just sat back as he contemplated everything he'd heard. He was new to all this and hadn't really gotten a chance to know the kid, but he still found Henry's part in the whole situation concerning and disrespectful.

"I'm sure we can fix this." Seth began to gather up the broken pieces, piecing back together, making sure each part was glued back properly.

"There, good as new." He commented a few minutes or so later. "It may not be perfect but at least it'll all be together once the glue dries." He studied the figurine sitting on the table in front of him."

"Thank you Seth, for fixing it." Chet said gratefully. Then his thoughts turned to Frank and Joe. "Now if we can get Frank and Joe back together, that would be perfect."

Just then they heard the front door open. The boys all got up as they saw Mr. Morton escorting Dr. Reese and Carl Sims into the house.

Carl said. "I'm here to get Henry ready for the trial tomorrow. If he's in no shape to testify it's not going to look good for us."

"I need to see him first." Dr. Reese, said, concerned about her client. "Before we decide anything."

"I'll go up and let him know you're here." A few minutes later, he came back with Donna and Henry trailing along behind him.

An awkward silence began to fill the room. The sound of the ringing telephone suddenly pierced the silence. Chet rushed into the kitchen to answer it.

Everyone grew concerned when he came back, body trembling slightly and almost in tears.

"Chet, honey, what's wrong?" Donna asked right away.

"That was Callie..." He managed to get out. "Joe has been found. He's alive..."

"Oh praise the Lord!" Donna exclaimed, as everyone else gasped.

Chet went on to say, "He's badly hurt...he's on his way to the hospital."

"What about Frank?" Phil asked hurriedly. He could feel his heart rate speed up; it was as though his heart was going to fly out of his chest. "Has she heard from him?"

As calmly, as he could Chet replied. "She said Mr. Hardy just called him; he's on his way back to Bayport. She said it's urgent that everyone get to the hospital as soon as they can."

"Well, what are we waiting for! Let's go!" Tony shouted as everyone hurried out the door. All of their thoughts were on Frank and Joe.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hello everyone hope you all are having a happy new year so far. First off, I want to thank t4sup, DusktoDawn, Cherylann Rivers, and Candylou for leaving me awesome reviews and to those where are following, favorites or just reading.**_

 _ **And of course big thank you to elven buddy for helping my edit my story you are awesome.** **Here it is Frank & Joe's reunion this chapter.**_

 ** _I've probably said this before, but I'll say it again, because I think it's true I've always felt the Hardy Boy's friends are just as important as the Hardy Boy themselves._** **_And remember when I told you in the beginning_ of the story that Callie's going to be the strength to help Frank to keep going.** **_In this chapter you'll see just that, so let me know what you think._**

 _ **Oh yeah... and you might need tissues for this one. Hope you like!**_

Aftermath chapter 15

"Nurse, could you tell me how a Joe Hardy is doing?" Officer Riley asked the nurse at the front desk anxiously. "He's the kid my partner and I brought in about an hour ago."

"Are you family?"

"Well, no." He attempted to reason with her. "But I'm good friends with his family; his father has worked with the Bayport PD several times. I've known Joe since he was a little kid. I've been to several of his football games and let me tell you, he's one hell of a player."

"I'm sorry officer," The nurse shook her head. "I can't give out confidential information about a patient to non family members."

"His family is on their way here."

"I'm sorry officer."

"Can't you at least tell me if he's okay?" He pleaded again. "Please."

"Officer Riley!"

Fenton's voice called out before the nurse had a chance to reply. Con spun around and felt relief wash over him as Fenton, Laura, Gertrude, Callie and Sam came running up to him, concern written clearly all over their faces.

Fenton saw the grim look on the officer's face. His head was reeling from Officer Riley's phone call that he had found Joe. 'He's alive; badly hurt, but alive.'

"Where's... Joe?" Laura asked, sniffing back a sob.

She'd been in the kitchen having tea with Gertrude as well as Callie and her mother. They'd been having a good time talking as they comforted each other through this difficult time regarding Joe. She found that she liked Susan Shaw, she was a kind, good hearted woman, who Callie seemed to take after. Laura Hardy took comfort in knowing that her eldest son had found someone like Callie; it was obvious that they cared deeply for each other. It was at that point that Fenton had come rushing into the kitchen, Sam hot on his heels, sharing the news about Joe.

"They rushed him straight to the operating room as soon as Baker and I got him here. That was about an hour ago." Con nodded towards the nurse at the front desk. "I've been trying to find out how he's doing, but no one will tell me anything. All I know is he was bleeding from his left leg and burning up with fever."

"My poor baby." Laura gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth, she began to cry. Fenton wrapped an arm around her, doing his best to offer some measure of comfort.

The officer quickly batted tears from his eyes. He was trying his best to stay professional, but he couldn't hide the emotions on his face. His voice began to crack, "He was alive... When we brought him in. I just... hope we got... him here in time."

"Well, they're going to tell us something; I can assure you of that much." Gertrude placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Despite her own concerns, she stepped in to be the pillar of strength and support that her family needed to keep going.

"Please Joe, don't leave us. We all need you." Callie whispered under her breath as she wiped her eyes. If Joe didn't make it...that means...Oh my God, Frank!

She could still picture him standing at the bottom of the kitchen stairs looking so deathly sick, it scared her to death. His father had mentioned that he and Biff were making their way to the hospital and that Frank had sounded very tired when they'd spoken on the phone. Callie didn't know what kind of condition her boyfriend would be in when he got here.

Deep down she knew that as far as her relationship with Frank, this situation would be a defining one and test her strength. Frank would need her when he got here; she could do it, she'd do it for the man she loved.

"Damn right, someone's going to tell us something." Fenton released his wife before gently wiping away her tears, kissing the top of her head. He then stepped up to the information desk.

"My name is Detective Fenton Hardy; my son, Joe was brought in about an hour ago. I want to know what's going on with him, and I want to know now."

Before the nurse had a chance to respond Dr. Bryce came into the waiting room.

"Dr. Bryce, where's Joe...is he...?" Laura pleaded, feeling her husband's hands resting on her shoulders, lending her his strength.

Dr. Bryce just looked at the distraught parents. He huffed out a breath and began what he had to say. "Why don't we all sit down, and I'll explain..."

"I don't want to sit down!" Laura snapped, pulling herself away from her husband. "I want to know what's going on with my son!"

"Dr. Bryce, please just cut right to it." Fenton again put his arms around his wife holding her close, this time she didn't pull away. They knew it wasn't going to be good news.

The doctor sighed, "Alright, Laura, Fenton, I don't have a lot of information. The good news is Joe's alive." He explained as gasps of seeming relief echoed around him. "The bad news, however, is that his condition is still serious; when he was brought in, he had a bullet wound in his left leg."

"Bullet wound?" Fenton repeated. "You're telling me that Joe was shot?"

His mind quickly went to the blood that was found in the trunk of the black sedan. He figured that Joe must've been injured at some point while being transported. Though the thought of his captors shooting him had never crossed his mind. Rage began to build up inside him; he knew exactly who was responsible for the whole situation they now found themselves in, Hayden.

"Yes, that's right." Dr. Bryce nodded. "The bullet ended up hitting an artery so in addition to the bullet we also had to extract fragments of bone from his leg. Whoever tried to help him appeared to have some medical knowledge although they botched up what they were trying to do; they didn't get all the bone fragments so now the wound is swollen and infected. Joe now has a dangerously high fever."

He continued anger evident in his voice. "I'm going to make sure that person never sets foot in the medical field again."

"Is Joe going to be okay?" Laura asked worriedly.

"Right now, Joe's a pretty sick boy. He's in the ICU. We have to monitor him around the clock. I had to go in and remove the rest of the bone fragments. We're giving him antibiotics via I.V. to fight off the infection. We want to make sure the fever doesn't get any higher and get the swelling to go down in his leg."

Dr. Bryce paused before continuing, "He may need some physical therapy for his leg. I'd say he'll be here for at least a week or two. It all depends on Joe."

Con glanced at Fenton and Laura before bringing his focus back to Dr. Bryce. He asked hesitantly. "Were we right in not waiting for an ambulance?"

"Yes, most certainly; had you waited, Joe would've died."

Laura immediately threw her arms around the officer pulling him into a hug. "Thank you." Callie and Gertrude both followed suit, thanking him for saving Joe. Once both women had thanked the officer, Sam took his turn, shaking hands with Con, expressing his thanks in his own way.

Fenton had been angry with the police officer; after all it had been his mistake that had caused Joe to be abducted. But, true to his word, wanting to make up for his mistake and help find Joe Con did just that; Fenton couldn't be more grateful to him for saving his son's life.

He cleared his throat, "Thank you for saving Joe's life. And I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you." The detective had tears lurking in the corners of his eyes. "You are more than just a friend; you are also family."

Con didn't know what to say he was speechless. Before Con knew what was happening, he found Fenton standing in front of him, his hand extended. He reached out, accepting his friend's handshake. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just grateful that Joe's going to be okay."

He cleared his throat. "I may know someone who could answer your questions about who shot Joe, and who removed the bullet. He nodded his head as everyone followed the officer's gaze to where Officer Baker stood next to a blond haired woman who sat, handcuffed to a chair over in a corner of the waiting area. In spite of being restrained, the woman was fidgety and definitely looked nervous.

"Is that who I think it is?" Sam asked. "I thought she was a redhead; she must've dyed it."

"Cindy Hayden." Con answered. "Yep."

He quickly filled them in on how he and Baker had pulled over Ryan Hayden's car and found Cindy Hayden to be driving it, Joe lying unconscious in the backseat.

"She looks scared to death." Callie nodded; she couldn't help but notice the woman's nervous demeanor.

"That's because she is; we haven't been able to get much out of her, she won't talk. The one thing she said, that was very strange, was her referring to Joe as her son."

"Her son?! I am Joe's mother." Laura stated, taking offense to this. "If that woman thinks, she's going to take my child from me. She's going to have a fight on her hands."

Fenton narrowed his eyes at Cindy Hayden. He wanted answers and this woman could provide him with them. At the same time, Fenton had to restrain himself; he wanted to throttle the woman for what had happened to his son but he couldn't allow himself to. "We'll deal with her in a moment, but right now I want to see Joe."

Laura asked anxiety clear in her voice. "Can we see him? Even if it's just for a second; I just need to see my baby."

"Yes, of course. I'll take you to him," Dr. Bryce offered. "You know I have to say it is a miracle that he has lasted this long. Joe has a strong will. It's like there's a reason he's fighting."

"There is, Frank." Callie spoke up. "He has to be the reason." She wouldn't have been surprised if his parents were thinking the same thing.

Fenton and Laura Hardy exchanged looks as worried as they were for their youngest, their eldest son and his health were never far from their minds. They hoped he'd get here in time to see his brother, equally scared out of their minds, praying that Frank's condition hadn't gotten any worse.

"Fenton you and Laura go be with Joe." Gertrude said to the worried couple. She too, was worried for her nephew although she was trying to remain hopeful that he'd be alright. "I'll wait here for Frank. He should be here soon."

Callie was doing her best, willing herself not to cry as she had to stay strong. "I'm going to go outside and call him." She took her phone out of her pocket. "And remember Biff is with him, so if he's in some kind of trouble we would've heard by now."

"You're right." Fenton agreed. "Callie's right, Frank will be here. We need to have faith he will be here." He prayed to God that he was right.

"Fenton, I'm going to go question Cindy Hayden and see if I can get anything out of her." Sam stepped up to take his partner's place. He knew that Fenton needed to focus and Laura and his boys, he didn't need the case hanging over his head as well.

Fenton nodded his thank you. He was grateful to have a good loyal friend like Sam Radley, who he considered another part of his family. They were partners in crime solving and had always had each other's backs. Then he and Laura followed Dr. Bryce through the emergency room doors to see Joe.

(OOOOO)

Callie stepped outside of the hospital, her phone in hand, just as Chet, Phil, Tony and Seth came running up to greet her; Henry and Chet's parents right behind them with Dr. Reese and Carl Sims bringing up the rear.

They all began firing off questions one by one.

"Callie, are we too late?"

"How is Joe?"

"Is Frank here yet?"

Chet saw that she was on the verge of tears and had a feeling something was wrong.

She quickly filled them in on what had been happening with Joe and went on to explain how she was worried about Frank and had just been getting ready to call him. Once she'd finished speaking, the group was now all on the same page and concerned for their Hardy friends. At that point, the adults left the teens outside as they walked into the hospital, leaving them to talk.

Henry decided to linger outside with Joe's friends in order to find out what was going on.

She dialed Frank's number. "He's not answering!" Callie cried, clutching her phone. "Why is he not answering?" She was starting to panic. "Frank, don't do this to me please!"

Chet put his arms around her to comfort her. "Something's wrong, I just know it." She cried.

"It's going to be okay...He'll be here. Just have faith." He did his best to soothe her, praying that he wasn't lying to her.

"Guys, look! I think I see him!" Phil shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Where?!" Callie exclaimed, pulling away from Chet. Everyone looked ahead in the direction Phil was pointing as the familiar black van came racing into the parking lot.

"Looks like Biff's at the wheel." Tony noticed, keeping his eyes on the van.

Biff brought the van to a screeching halt. The door on the driver's side flew open as Biff jumped out, shouting to his friends. "Phil go get help!"

"Help's on the way!" Phil raced inside with Seth on his heels.

Biff ran around to the passenger side and opened Frank's door. Callie's eyes immediately landed on Frank, slumped over, wincing in pain as as he clutched at his chest.

"Frank!"

"Come on, Frank. We're here." Biff put Frank's arm around his shoulders as he helped him out of the van. "I've got you."

Tony and Chet quickly took in their friend's shocking appearance. He looked so deathly sick.

Frank looked up and saw his girlfriend. "Callie, I..." A pain shooting through his chest caught him off guard and the elder Hardy boy fell to the ground panting for breath.

A smile spread across Henry's face as he watched the whole scene from the sidelines. This was good. Maybe his wish would come true after all.

Frank took a few deep breaths before attempting to get back to his feet. Again, the pain shooting through his chest was severe enough to knock him to his knees. "I... can't... do this. Cal, I can't...I'm sorry."

Callie immediately knelt in front of him. "Frank Hardy, don't you dare give up! Do you hear me?" She said firmly, voice not wavering at all, in spite of her stifling a sob. "You have to keep fighting, for your friends, for your family, for us."

"We are about to enter a new phase of our lives. We're going to college. You are going to Princeton in August. We are building a future together. We planned to get married someday… I want to grow old with you and be surrounded by grandchildren."

"I thought you wanted that too."

Frank looked up at her with tears rolling down his face. "I do want that. I just..."

Callie framed his face with her hands, gently wiping his tears away with her thumbs. "It's not going to happen if you give up. Let the doctors fix whatever's wrong with you." She added a final thought to the words she'd already spoken. "What about Joe? He's in the hospital waiting for you. He needs his big brother to chase the monsters away."

"Please, just fight." She pressed her forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He gazed up at her; once again, she lost herself in his brown eyes. He watched her eyelids flutter, then close. Her heart was beating so fast she couldn't get a decent breath. She felt his breath on her cheek. Then their lips met.

"Thank you Callie." He replied, catching his breath. "For knocking some sense into me." He rubbed hard at his chest, feeling that familiar ache. "Hold on little brother, I'm coming."

Biff and Tony each placed a hand on one of Frank's shoulders in order to support him.

"Oh my God... Frank!" Aunt Gertrude exclaimed at the sight of her nephew. Chet's parents, Dr. Reese and Carl Sims were just as shocked to see the boy's condition.

"Let's get him on the gurney." The doctor instructed his medical team.

"No." Frank refused breathlessly. "I have to see... Joe." Biff and Tony placed his hands on his shoulders to support him.

"Frank, listen to the doctor!" His aunt pleaded. They were all pleading with Frank to get some treatment; Chet's parents, Dr. Reese and Carl Sims included. Still the teenager refused.

"Aunty...please listen to me. I need to see Joe."

"Frank is it?" The doctor asked, recalling his name. "Your friends said you were having chest pains. By the looks of you, you are clearly sick. We need to get you checked out."

"No... I have to see my brother... first." Frank panted for breath as he clutched at his chest.

"Son, you can barely stand on your feet. Your friends are holding you up to keep you from falling over..."

"No, no, no!" Frank shook his head. "I... need Joe!"

Suddenly Frank's words flashed back in Chet's head, _"No… I'll be fine. The pain... will go away... I just need..." Frank panted between each painful breath. "Joe."_ He shook his head as he realized. Oh my God! He'd been telling them the whole time!

"Listen to him!" Chet piped in. Everyone just looked at him. "He needs to be with Joe."

"Look, we all know that they have a very strong connection with each other. How they can communicate to each other with their feelings. Right now their connection's at its weakest."

"So if we can get them back together their bond will start to strengthen resulting in them each getting stronger." Chet glanced up at Frank and saw a smile slide across his face, Chet knew right then he was on the right track.

With tears seeping in the corners of his eyes, Chet smiled back at Frank as he continued on, "We may not fully understand it.. But then again maybe we don't need to. All that is important is that they need each other."

"Chet's right. " Tony spoke up, understanding what his friend was saying. "Frank needs to be with Joe."

"Please, doctor let Frank see Joe." Callie pleaded she knew Chet was right. "Please, you have to."

"Kids, I don't know what kind of science fiction movies you're watching. But this is real life." The doctor argued. "Your friend here is sick and is in need of medical attention. It could be life threatening. "

"Actually, I think they're both right." Phil added as he adjusted his glasses. "Frank does need medical attention." Then he looked at Chet and then Frank, "But he also needs Joe. They're soul mates."

"Doctor, I demand that you listen to them." Gertrude came to Frank's defense. "I don't fully understand it either, but I do know my nephews need to be together. Their lives are at stake here, and if putting them together can make a difference in their conditions, then by God we have to try."

The doctor just looked at them all strongly. He wasn't sure what to make of it all.

"Damn it doctor, get Dr. Bryce. He'll listen to us." Biff growled; he was full of emotions and was very nearly ready to explode at the doctor. He'd run every red light to get Frank here and he wasn't about to give up now.

(OOOOO)

"I can only allow two people at a time to visit Joe," Dr. Bryce informed Fenton and Laura, as they stepped into Joe's room, "At least for 5 to 10 minutes. After this visit, you may stay for as long as you want during visiting hours."

Laura let out a gasp of shock when she finally caught sight of her baby; there were monitors and I.V's sticking out of Joe in every possible place, or so it seemed to Laura. His face looked so pale and his hair was matted with sweat. She saw his left leg was bandaged and propped up with pillows. She immediately went over to her son's bedside, looking completely heartbroken.

"Can I touch him?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, of course," Dr. Bryce said, nodding his encouragement, "Feel free to talk to him, let him know you're here. He might be a bit out of it with the medications we're giving him; but it's all to help him get better. I'll give you some time alone with him."

"Thank you, doctor," Fenton replied as Dr. Bryce left the room.

"Joe, baby, it's Mom. I'm right here," Laura said softening her voice and trying to hold back the tears that were currently welling up in her eyes. "I love you, so much." She squeezed her son's hand before leaning over to kiss his hot forehead.

"Joe, it's Dad," Fenton's voice cracked. He knew he had to stay in control for his family's sake. He needed to be their strength. "You need to get well soon." Feeling the need to touch his son, he gently reached out and touched the side of Joe's face, "Let us see those blue eyes of yours. I love you, too, son."

It was killing him to see Joe like this. Thinking of all his son had been through, leading up to getting shot, Fenton couldn't identify any of what he was feeling; fear, guilt, sadness, anger, it was all mixed together. And the worst part was that there was nothing Fenton could have done that would have prevented any of what his son had been through.

He silently cursed Hayden and anyone involved with him for doing this to his son. They would pay for their crimes; he would see to that.

"Mom... Dad, I'm here."

Laura turned around, gasping at the sight of her eldest. "Oh my God!"

Fenton looked up and had to do a double-take at the sight of Frank standing in front of him with Dr. Bryce. He let his eyes quickly sweep over his son; his son's face was ghostly pale, dark circles surrounded his brown eyes, his lips were almost a purplish color.

"Frank, look at you!" She wrapped her arms carefully around her son. "I knew I should've never let you leave the house."

"Frank!" Fenton managed to get out and then hugged him, his son's skin felt cold and clammy, and he felt his body shaking.

"Fenton, Laura, for your own peace of mind I just want you to know." Dr. Bryce stepped in. "Frank has agreed to let me examine him, as soon as he sees Joe. I thought that was a fair deal."

Fenton and Laura stepped back to allow Frank to reunite with Joe. They hoped that this was a good sign, that their sons would both be alright and the healing process could begin. They watched as Frank staggered over to Joe's bed.

"Hey, little brother, I'm right here." Frank said in a soothing voice, brushing a strain of blond hair out of Joe's eyes. Tears ran down his face as his chin began to tremble, he rubbed vigorously at his chest as he began to speak. "God, I'd thought I lost you... Please, don't leave me. We have to make things right between us... I need you. We are a team. Please, don't leave. I love you."

Slowly, Frank leaned forward and kissed Joe on the forehead.

There was a heavy sting of silence in the air. With tears in their eyes, Fenton and Laura held their breaths, waiting and praying for a miracle.

To their great surprise, Joe's eyelids started moving. Frank's brown eyes lit up when he saw Joe's baby blue eyes staring back at him.

"Joe."

Then suddenly a sharp pain shot through his heart. He clutched at his chest as his breathing began to get heavier. Frank went limp and then fell, lifeless, to the floor.

"Frank!"


	16. Chapter 16

Hello, I wanted to thank those who are following, favorites, or just reading the story. and thank you to Dusktodawn21, Cherylann Rivers, t4swp, and Candylou for leaving me wonderful reviews. I also wanted to give you'll a heads up, the subject matter is on the topic of depression. Here's my new chapter hope you like it

Aftermath chapter 16

Frank felt the soft and gentle touch of a hand caressing the left side of his face. Opening his eyes, Callie's beautiful face was the first thing he saw.

"Callie..." He sat up too quickly gasping for breath which resulted in his chest hurting. A monitor started to go off somewhere beside him. He glanced down at himself noticing the light blue hospital gown as well as the IV attached to his arm. Frantically searching his surroundings, his mind finally caught up with what his eyes were telling him; he was in the hospital. Eventually, his brown eyes fell onto his girlfriend and his father who was also at his bedside with concern written all over his face.

"Frank, it's okay." Callie said softly, moving to stand by his bedside trying to ease him back onto his pillow. "Relax, lay back and rest."

"Callie...Dad, where's Joe? I just saw him... Before, I passed out." He began breathlessly.

"Frank, listen to your girlfriend." Fenton instructed. "Lay back down and rest."

"But...Dad...Joe..."

"Frank...Please, you're going to wake up your roommate." Laura said from across the room.

"My roommate?" Frank turned his head and saw his mother in tears standing next to a figure sleeping in a bed just a few feet away from him. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Joe."

There were monitors and IV's sticking out of him. His face looked so pale and his hair was matted with sweat. His left leg, Frank saw, was bandaged and propped up on several pillows.

"What happened to him?" Frank started to get up out of his bed causing the monitor to go off as he almost pulled out the IV. His father stopped him by placing both hands on his shoulders, forcing him to lie down once again.

"Frank, take it easy." Dr. Bryce said, coming into the room. "I heard the commotion on my way here."

"What's wrong with Joe?" Frank demanded, not taking his eyes off his brother.

Fenton answered, standing at Frank's beside. "He has a fever; a result of the infection he has from a bullet wound to his leg."

"What!" Frank exclaimed, his eyes trailing to Joe's left leg, it was swollen. "Someone shot Joe!"

His mind quickly went to the blood that was found in the trunk of the black sedan. He'd thought that Joe'd been injured during an altercation with his abductors but the idea that they'd actually shot him sent pure rage boiling inside of him. He exploded. "I'm going to kill Hayden!" He suddenly grabbed at his chest, gasping in pain, causing the heart rate monitor to go off.

"Frank!" Laura cried out.

"Frank!" Callie didn't know what to say. It was understandable that Frank's emotions would be all over the place, given what he'd been though and what he was _still_ going through. Her eyes quickly swept over his pale face, noting that his lips were still purplish, and his eyes still had dark bags underneath. She hated how the whole situation was affecting his health both physically and mentally.

She'd been waiting for the moment to see her boyfriend reunite with his brother. Unfortunately, it wasn't going as well as she'd hoped it would. Earlier, when she'd been out in the waiting room a nurse had come to fetch her, saying Laura was requesting her presence. Callie knew then that something was wrong, she hadn't needed to see Laura outside Joe's room crying. Laura had explained that Frank had collapsed as soon as he'd seen Joe. Laura wanted Callie to be there when Frank regained consciousness so that between the two of them, they could try to keep Frank calm.

"Take it easy son." Fenton said, holding him back; he knew his son's emotions were running high. "Frank, please don't talk like that. Joe certainly doesn't need to hear it."

"Frank, I need you to take a slow and steady breath." Dr. Bryce grabbed an oxygen mask, placing it over his nose and mouth. "Listen to them, Frank, don't get yourself all excited."

"Do you know what's causing Frank to have chest pains?" Fenton asked, concerned for his son. He wanted to help Frank in any way he could. He hated to see him like this.

"I do. That's another reason why I came in here." Dr. Bryce sighed and got right to it. "Frank is having episodes of something called angina pectoris or more commonly known as angina."

Frank removed the oxygen mask from his face and asked as calmly as he could, "Angina. What is that?"

Callie held his hand to support him. She dreaded it was bad news that something was wrong with her boyfriend.

"Is it something serious?" Laura asked worriedly fearing the worst for her eldest son.

"Well it can be." The doctor answered, going on to further explain. " "Basically, what it is, is a blockage in the blood vessels that reduces blood and oxygen flow to the heart. It's painful, but it doesn't cause any permanent damage to the heart. The pain that originates in the chest can spread to the arms, shoulders, back and jaw. It might feel like something is squeezing the muscle or putting pressure on it, but it usually isn't too severe. It can feel like you're having a heart attack."

"A heart attack! But Frank's only eighteen. Up until now he's always been healthy and in shape." Callie broke into the conversation; she was trying hard not to cry. Not now, she told herself, now was the time to be brave and strong.

"A person's age or health doesn't matter. Anyone can have a heart attack. A chest pain from angina can be triggered by exercise, excitement, or emotional distress, even depression…"

"Depression?" Fenton interrupted, the possible diagnosis hitting him like a ton of bricks. God...please not Frank, Fenton had been hoping this was an issue that wouldn't have come up. The visions Fenton had of his father, Frederick Hardy, flooded the detective's mind; the gunshots...the bloody walls...the still body lying on the floor. Fenton quickly forced the thoughts out of his head and focused on the situation at hand.

The doctor picked up where he'd left off so smoothly it was like he'd never been interrupted. "Depression is the strongest predictor of death in the first decade following a diagnosis of coronary heart disease. People with coronary heart disease who are diagnosed with depression are about twice as likely to die compared with those who are not diagnosed with depression."

"I did some research and have found out there was a study done at the * _Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City*_. The study indicates that it doesn't matter if depression emerges in the short term or a few years down the road. It's a risk factor that continually needs to be assessed. Patients with coronary disease need to be continuously screened for depression, and if found to be depressed, they need to receive adequate treatment and continued follow-up."

"The study focused on patients who'd had a heart attack or had stable or unstable angina, all of which are caused by a reduced flow of blood to the heart, which typically happens as a result of a plaque buildup in the heart's arteries. All three of these conditions fall under the blanket term 'coronary heart disease'. It is the most common form of heart disease and kills about 370,000 people annually, and that is in the United States alone."

"Depression? Is that what's wrong with me? Is that why I'm feeling so out of control?" Frank inquired; just thinking of it scared him to death.

"We'd have to do further tests to determine that, but I'd say it's a definite possibility." Dr. Bryce confirmed before putting forth another possibility. "Stress can also be a factor as it can increase your risk of heart attacks and angina. Too many negative emotions, such as anger, added to stress can raise your blood pressure. Surges of hormones produced during periods of stress can narrow your arteries and worsen angina."

"Is Frank going to be okay, doctor?" Laura asked worriedly. "There must be something you can do for him."

"It's already been done." Dr. Bryce motioned to Frank's wrist where the IV was attached. "The IV he's hooked up to is giving his body the nutrients it needs. We're also going to make sure he gets plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. I also have Frank on a heart rate monitor to keep track of his heart rate and blood pressure. I won't be discharging Frank until I'm one hundred percent sure that everything is working as it should."

"But the best thing he can do to help himself is to get lots of rest." Turning Dr. Bryce looked straight at Frank. "Frank I understand you have a lot going on right now. Having said that, you need to take this seriously because if you don't you could end up with some serious health issues that could affect your career as a detective."

Frank turned away and looked at Joe sound asleep in the bed across from him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and huffed, "How am I supposed to relax and rest when I don't know what's going on with him. Right now, Joe is all that matters to me… I can't be selfish and think about my needs. Joe comes first, that's the way it's always been. That's the way it has to be."

"Selfish? Frank..." Fenton started to say but Frank cut him off.

"I can't seem to let go of all the guilt I'm feeling. I'm his big brother, I'm supposed to protect him from life's monsters. But I-I didn't..." His breath began to get heavier causing the monitor to go off again. "I was there in that damn basement feeling completely helpless as that damn bastard abused him over and over with…a knife…the closet… the fear that I saw in Joe's eyes is forever grained in my head….It's my fault. "

"I couldn't stop it...This is what happens when you let your feelings get in the way". Frank choked up. "I failed in my job to protect Joe. Hayden was right all along; when he said I was just like him…."

"Frank look at me." Fenton fought hard to keep his own emotions at bay. Frank did as his father had instructed. "None of this is your fault. Do you understand me? Hayden held you against your will; you were also a victim of his." Fenton could see that Frank was on the verge of breaking down no matter how hard he tried to fight it. "He almost beat the crap out of you with that belt."

"I would've let him… because he was going to beat Joe first." The elder Hardy boy's voice cracked as he finally gave in to his emotions and let the tears fall. "I was ready to take the beatings. I'm supposed to take it, it's my job…." He stopped himself, quickly bringing the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"When Joe was taken from the Morton farm...that was my fault too...because we'd been arguing beforehand. We stormed off in different directions…he wasn't supposed to go off by himself. I should've…done something."

He felt Callie give his hand a gentle squeeze, a reminder that she was there for him. Tears ran down his face. "For the last two days I thought my little brother was dead. I was starting to come to terms with it, but I kept feeling him in my heart." He clutched at his chest once again. "That feeling kept me going...it was giving me hope that maybe by some miracle, Joe was still alive. Then Dad called to tell me that Joe had been found, he was badly hurt and on the way to the hospital. He was asking for me."

"You don't know, you can't know, all the thoughts running through my mind right now. I prayed to God, all the way here that I'd make it in time. When I finally did get here, I had to be carried in by my friends; when I finally get to see my brother, I pass out. I wake up to see him in the bed beside me only to find out from my father that Joe had been shot!"

"I want answers. Who shot him? Is he going to be okay…is he going to live or is he going to…?" His voice trailed off as the monitors started going off once more.

"Joe's going to be fine." The doctor replied easing Frank's stress. "We're giving him antibiotics to fight off the infection in his leg. His fever hasn't gone any higher, so that's a good sign. He's asleep right now which is also a good thing; as long as he's still he won't hurt as much."

"I know that the two of you are close and that you need each other so in order to help you not stress out any more than you already are, I arranged for you both to be in the same room. Truthfully, it makes it easier for me to check up on my favorite family as well." He paused before continuing. "Having said that, I'm going to ask everyone to leave so you can get some sleep. I'll be making my rounds but if you need anything just press the call button; either a nurse or I will be here."

"Thank you, Dr. Bryce." Fenton replied gratefully.

"I'll leave you all alone to have your time with Frank. Frank, get some sleep." The doctor nodded and with that, he left the room.

"Did you hear that Frank? Joe's going to be fine." Fenton repeated to ease his son's stress. "You don't need all the details right away, so we'll talk about that later. Right now, both you and Joe need your sleep."

Frank cast his eyes down at his hands and just gave a slight nod.

"I love you, baby." Laura leaned over to kiss Joe's forehead. Then she walked over and did the same to Frank. "I love you too." She tried to hold the tears welling up in her eyes back as she added. "Honey, you do as the doctor said and get some sleep. I need my two strong, healthy boys back."

"I'm going to go let your aunt know what's going on. We'll be back soon." Fenton went over to his sleeping younger son and kissed his forehead before he and Laura made their way out of the room.

Callie wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm going to go let our friends know what's going on. They've been anxiously waiting for news." She sniffed back a sob. "I'll be back soon. Everything's going to be just fine." She said reassuring her boyfriend and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"Callie." Frank cleared his throat as he glanced up at Callie, blinking back tears of his own. "I love you too."

"Get some sleep." Callie nodded teary eyed before leaving.

(OOOO)

As soon as everyone had gone Frank laid back down staring up at the ceiling lost in thought.

"Depression." He kept turning the word over in his head. "Damn it. That's all I need right now on top of everything else." He'd never thought that something like what the doctor said he was experiencing could happen to him. Was that what was wrong with him? Was that why he was feeling so out of control, Frank worried. He suddenly felt as though he was on shaky ground as he tried to push the doctor's diagnosis out of his head, but found in the end it was impossible.

"What does this mean?" He thought about the new phase of his life he was about to enter. His high school graduation. He was going to Princeton in August. He and Joe had both been looking forward to the day when they'd work full-time alongside their father. It was their dream! But 'Hardy and Sons' Detective Agency' may never happen now.

"Oh, my god, Callie!" He wanted to marry her, build a life together, and have kids... "No, no, no" Depression, he thought, that won't happen. I won't let it take away everything I've worked so hard for!

Then a moaning sound broke Frank out of his determined thoughts and got his attention. He immediately looked over at Joe. "NO...NO!" Joe was having a nightmare, tossing his head from side to side.

"No! Let me go! Please… help me… Frank!"

"Joe. Joe I'm right here!" He called to his brother.

But Joe didn't respond he was still trapped in his nightmare. "No! Let me go! Get away! Frank, help me!"

"Joe..." Frank started to get up but the IV in his wrist prevented him from doing so causing the monitors to go off. He started to reach for the call button to call for help then decided against it. "Oh screw this." He cursed and began ripping the IV out and threw off his blanket and swung his legs out of his bed.

Frank was at Joe's bedside in an instant. The monitors behind him were going off like crazy, any second someone would come in here, but Frank didn't care. Joe was calling out for him. Joe needed him! Joe came first. That's the way it had always been and would always be...Frank was going to do his job.

"Joe, wake up. It's okay; I'm here now, you're safe." Laying a gentle hand on Joe's forehead, Frank could feel the heat that was still radiating from it. "Little brother, I'm here. I'll chase the monsters away for you; all you have to do is open your eyes."

That was when Joe cracked his eyes open. "F-Frank." His voice was soft, softer than usual. Joe sat up quickly, gasping for breath and wincing in pain. He was drenched in sweat. "Frank."

"It's okay, I'm here. Sssshh. Joe, just calm down." Frank said in a calming voice.

Frank could see the panic in Joe's eyes.

"Joe, take it easy". Frank said to him. He took his hand into his. "You're safe."

Joe gripped Frank's hand tighter and adamantly shook his head, "My... leg... is it still there?"

When Frank did not answer him, Joe began to panic. "Frank, answer me! Is it still there?"

Frank's eyes trailed down to rest on Joe's left leg bandaged and propped up by several pillows. "Yes, Joe, it's still there. Look for yourself."

"I'm afraid to look."

Frank grabbed Joe's hand and placed it on his leg. "See, Joe, feel that. It's still there."

Joe could feel something although he wasn't fully convinced. He had to know though, so he took a deep breath and finally forced himself to look down. Sure enough, as Frank had said, his leg was still there, still attached to his body. He breathed a sigh of relief; his left limb was still intact.

Suddenly, as reality finally hit him, Joe started to cry. "S-she said when she got back, she was going to take it."

"Take it? Who is she? What are you talking about?" Frank asked, as calmly as he could. He still didn't know all the details of everything that had happened to Joe.

"Nurse Matthews...she took the bullet out then my leg got infected... she was going to amputate. She said she'd either take...my leg or...or my life." Joe gave Frank's hand a hard squeeze. Frank winced slightly at the force behind the touch. "Don't let them get me...please... Don't let them get me." Frank couldn't remember a time when he'd seen Joe this scared. What the hell had they done to him?

"Joe, listen to me." He said, keeping his voice calm as he automatically went into big brother mode. "You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you." He vowed with conviction. Joe let go of Frank's hand, but the fear was still evident on his face. Carefully, Joe moved over, making room on the bed for Frank to lie beside him. As Joe moved, Frank took the opportunity to give his sore hand a rub before lying beside Joe.

Joe laid his head down on Frank's shoulder. Frank could feel Joe shaking; wrapping an arm around him, Frank drew his brother close, offering what comfort he could. Damn you Hayden! You're definitely going to pay for this! Frank forced the thoughts from his mind, wanting to focus on the positive. "Things are going to change for us and for everyone little brother. The tables are about to turn. That is a promise."

Waiting a few minutes Frank realized that Joe'd fallen asleep on him. With his little brother safe in his arms, Frank was confident that no one would dare harm him, Frank finally drifted off to sleep.

(OOOO)

Writer's note: *I got the medical info in the chapter from (Medical Xpress dot com) if you want to learn more.*


	17. Chapter 17

_I am so sorry about the long delay in updating...I've been dealing with a family medical emergency on top of the crazy winter weather...I hate snow. Rest assure I will not abandon this story, it may take a while, but, I will finish it, there's still a lot more to go and a lot of big stuff happening. Thank you to those who have left me wonderful reviews and thank you to those who are following, favorites, or just reading along. and a big thank you to my beta reader elven buddy for editing and helping me with my story, you are awesome!_

 _Here's my new chapter. In this one the Hardy family secret is finally revealed. again it deal with depression, I do try to read up on the subject and know, friends, family, co-workers who deal with this._ I'm still learning about depression i _f anyone has ideas or tips, suggestions, please feel free to share with me in a review or you can PM me. How do you think Frank and Joe will take the news?_

Aftermath Chapter 17

It hadn't been that long, only a few moments since Callie had walked back into the waiting room, tears streaming down her face. She pulled her friends aside to a small lounge area no one was occupying at the moment, and delivered the heartbreaking news about Frank.

"Depression. Frank is depressed; I never would've thought..." Phil trailed off, shaking his head. He couldn't believe it.

Sitting across from Phil, Seth tried to reassure his cousin. "Wait Phil. The doctor told Callie that was only one of the possibilities. He didn't say that was what was wrong with Frank." He felt bad for his cousin and his friends, he still wanted to get to know Frank and Joe. He wished there was something he could do for them.

Tony didn't want to believe it either. "The doctor said stress was another possibility, right?" He turned to Callie for confirmation.

Callie couldn't speak over the lump in her throat. She just nodded as she wiped a tear from her eye. She couldn't stop thinking about Frank.

Biff was leaning against the wall. "Why wouldn't he be depressed, damn it." He grumbled, he kicked the wall out of frustration. "Anybody would be after what Frank's been through, Joe too." He shook his head. He didn't want to believe it. "When we were in Bellevue, Frank was barely holding it together. I mean the poor guy thought his brother was dead. Then we found that body..."

"Body?" His friends asked in unison, all looking at him.

Biff quickly filled the gang in on how he and Frank had found Mr. Winston's body and how the police suspected Nurse Matthews and Cindy Hayden to be in on the death, somehow. The pair was also connected to the Bellevue hospital fire and Joe's abduction. Biff also told them about how Ryan Hayden had murdered two police officers. That part of the story wasn't a secret anymore; the man's face was plastered on all the local magazines' front covers as well as on every television news stations.

Once everyone was up to speed, Biff went on to tell them about Frank. "You should've seen how devastated Frank was when we thought the body we'd found was Joe. I did everything I could to distract him and keep his mind on the case. I kept telling him that Joe was alive and the clues we were finding were leading us to him. That kept him going; that and the fact that he could feel Joe in his heart."

Chet was sitting beside Callie. He thought about his good friend, Frank and everything he'd been through with Joe. He was sad thinking that Frank could be depressed. He felt bad for his friends, the Hardys; they could never seem to catch a break. He glanced at Callie. He felt bad for her. He could see she was trying to hold it together for Frank, but he could see she was on the verge of breaking down.

"Callie, Frank's going to be okay. He's with Joe." Chet said, conviction in his voice. "We got the detective duo back together again. Their bond can start to regrow and strengthen itself. They're going to come back stronger than ever, you'll see."

"You're right; everything will be okay." Callie wiped her tears away. "Frank's just completely worn out, that's all it is. The doctor wants him to relax, get some sleep and not stress out about anything."

Just then Henry came over and plopped down in a chair next to Tony. "So, when are they going to let us see Joe?" He huffed, tapping his fingertips on his knee impatiently. "We've been waiting here forever."

An awkward silence fell as everyone glanced at each other unsure of what to say. Chet cleared his throat as he prepared to break the awkward silence. "Henry, um, we're all anxious to see Frank and Joe." He explained, trying to keep his voice calm. "We have to be patient and give their parents the respect and privacy they need to spend with their family first. The doctor also wants them to rest. Part of that is not being surrounded and overwhelmed with too many people at once."

Phil glanced at his watch. "Besides it's 9pm which means that visiting hours will be over in an hour. So we may have to wait until tomorrow to see them."

"Well that's stupid." Henry grumbled folding his arms to his chest. "I don't care about Frank. I just want to see Joe. Couldn't they let me see him even if it's just for a minute?"

"Do you have a problem with Frank?" Callie asked sharply finally finding her voice. As Callie spoke the rest of the gang just gaped at Henry, their mouths open in shock.

Henry simply replied. "Yeah, he hates me. He doesn't want me to be friends with Joe."

"Well, maybe there's a reason." Biff balled his hands into fists. He couldn't hold back his anger. "Maybe it has to do with your crazy obsession with his brother."

"I'm not obsessed with Joe."

"Then why did you dye your hair blond?" Tony asked, speaking completely out of the blue as he folded his arms to his chest.

"Cause I wanted to." Henry shrugged as he straightened out his black Spider-Man t-shirt.

"Okay, then how can you explain the superhero drawing you did? Was that supposed to be Joe?" Chet inquired as he moved to the edge of his seat. He was tired of walking on eggshells around Henry. It was time to get some answers.

"No. It's supposed to be me."

"You're the superhero?" Biff growled narrowing eyes at him.

"Yes."

Biff just looked at Henry in disbelief. He glanced at his friends; he could see they didn't believe Henry either.

Phil could see things were starting to escalate. "Henry, you need to understand something about Frank. He is very protective of Joe; he takes his role as big brother very seriously."

Callie suddenly felt an overwhelming need to defend her boyfriend. She continued on where Phil had left off. "This crazy obsession you seem to have with Joe; dyeing your hair blond and the whole superhero thing. Your constant need to be around Joe is not sitting well with Frank. He sees you as a threat to his brother considering you did get violent a few times."

"It's giving Frank a reason to not trust you. If you do anything to hurt Joe, Frank will have a problem with you. Joe is just as protective of his older brother; if you do anything to Frank, Joe won't be very forgiving..."

"I'm not obsessed with Joe!" Henry gripped the armrests of his chair tightly as he narrowed his eyes at Callie. "I would never hurt Joe."

"Then why did you throw your food tray at him?" Callie shot back, she didn't like what he was implying.

"That was one time. I was in the hospital...I was having a freaking panic attack thinking about J-Jack. It was an accident."

Biff growled. "What were you doing in Iola's room? I heard you broke her porcelain horse the one Joe gave her." He'd heard about the incident from Chet and was most definitely not pleased. He hoped with all his might that Henry wouldn't ask Joe about Iola's death.

"It was an accident. Chet's mom told me I could go in there." Henry replied through clenched teeth as he began to get all defensive.

"Why are you so obsessed with Joe?"

"I'm not!" Henry shouted and began working up some tears. "Joe's the only friend I've got; if I lose him, I have no one."

"You all hate me just like Frank! I can see it all over your faces." He looked around at everyone in the room. "I know you blame me for what Jack did to Chet's house and to his dog...and for what happened to Joe." He stifled a sob. "You all think I'm crazy just like him! I hate him! I want Jack to die!"

"Henry, we don't hate you. We're just concern-" Chet started to say.

"Screw you! You're all a bunch of damn liars!" Henry shouted as he blinked back angry tears. Jumping to his feet, Henry ran out of the waiting room. For a moment, everyone just sat in silence, unsure of what to say. Finally Biff came over and plopped himself down in Henry's chair, looking over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear before he turned back to his friends and spoke, his voice at a lower volume. "It might be a good idea to suggest a restricted visitors' list to Frank and Joe's parents. I think we need to get Henry away from Joe and that's one way to do it."

"Yeah." Callie agreed with Biff. "That's a good idea; I don't want him anywhere near Joe." She thought Biff's suggestion was a good one. "Frank and Joe are in the same room together. Frank is so stressed out right now; if he sees Henry anywhere near Joe it could end up killing him. I'll gladly suggest it to Laura." She was going to do anything and everything she could to protect the man she loved.

"Maybe I could help keep him distracted," Seth spoke up. He wanted to help his cousin and friends in any way he could. "I've been wanting to get to know him and talk to him about his dyslexia; see if I can help him in any way. Maybe now is a good time to do that?"

He started to stand up but Phil stopped him and pulled him back down. "I don't think that's a good idea." Phil disagreed. "Henry is kind of unpredictable there's no telling what he might do. He might try to hurt you."

"Don't worry, Phil, I'll be fine." Seth reassured his cousin.

"Well alright, but if he tries anything just walk away."

"I will, I promise I'll be careful." Seth stood back up and left to go find Henry.

(OOOOO)

In the hospital cafeteria Gertrude was sitting at a table drinking coffee with Fenton. Laura had opted out saying she needed to go for a walk in and be on her own for a bit so she could attempt to come to terms with everything that'd happened in regards to her boys. They were happy that Joe would physically recover from his injuries and were praying that his fever broke soon. They were all prepared to do what it took, to help Joe get back on his feet; the situation with Frank was a little more complicated, it had blown their minds.

Gertrude stirred cream into her coffee as she thought about her eldest nephew. "Fenton, I think it's time Laura and the boys knew the truth." She knew it was going to be a hard thing to talk about but it had to be done. "You and I both know depression is a possibility, considering what happened with our father."

Fenton slowly took a sip of his coffee before setting the cup down. "I know they need to know; they deserve to know the truth. I've put it off for way too long."

"Joe is so much like his mother. He's never afraid to tell or show how he's feeling." Tears showed themselves in the corners of his eyes. "Frank, however, takes after me in so many ways. Being afraid to show emotion, of any kind, is one personality trait I regret passing onto my son. He's had so much to deal with lately; having to deal with depression on top of it all, is too much. It's not fair."

The detective's voice cracked. He cleared his throat before continuing on. "Joe may not be too far from it either, we still don't know everything that's happened to him after all."

"Damn it! I wanted things to be different for the boys. The thought of them having to go through the hell I, or rather we, went through..." He trailed off as his father's face flashed through his mind once more.

"Fenton, it doesn't have to be that way. Just because it happened to Father doesn't mean it'll happen to the boys." Gertrude quickly wiped a tear away with the corner of her napkin. "Things are different from when we were young Fenton. For one, you've shown Frank and Joe more love and affection than Father ever did with us."

"That's because of Laura. She has always been my rock, in fact I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. I never knew what love was, until I met her. I was in a really dark place."

"When we were dating first through high school and then college, I tried to push her away just like I did everyone else in my life." Fenton spoke, his voice thoughtful. "She always pushed back with both love and affection. Even now, it's still hard for me to show emotion and yet she knows that and is very patient with me. That's one of the many reason why I fell in love and married her."

"When the boys came along, I vowed that I'd break the cycle and always show them just how much I loved them. They are my world; I'd do anything for them." He went on, his voice taking on a sad tinge. "On some level I feel like I failed them in that regard."

"You have not failed them." Gertrude gave Fenton's hand a comforting squeeze as she let out a deep sigh. "Brother, I know you love those boys and I know you'll do whatever it takes to help get them back on their feet."

He looked up at Gertrude, his eyes filled with determination, voice strong once more. "You're right; I'd do whatever it took for them. I need to the tell boys. First though, I'd better tell Laura..."

"Tell me what?"

The siblings looked up sharply as Laura appeared beside their table. "I think I'll go stretch my legs for a bit." Gertrude stood up, discreetly taking that as her cue to leave.

"Gert." Fenton said. "Thank you."

Gertrude gave a slight nod before leaving. Laura sat across from Fenton as soon as Gertrude left the cafeteria. "What was that about?" Fenton could see her eyes were all red and puffy from crying.

"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" Fenton offered, wanting her to relax a bit before dumping his news on her.

"No, I don't want coffee. I want to know what's going on." She whispered softly, her voice filled with concern. "Has there been any news on the boys?"

"No, they're fine." He reassured her. "I need to talk to you about something. Something I should've told you a long time ago. I want to tell the boys, but I need to tell you first."

Fenton gulped, he wasn't sure how she was going to take it. "Fenton, please you're scaring me. What's wrong?" Laura asked slowly. She could see the hesitation in Fenton's eyes and it scared her.

"Alright, Laura, we need to prepare ourselves because of the situation with Frank." He began as calmly as he could. He covered her hand with his. "In terms of what Frank is dealing with, we have have to consider depression a possibility. The reason I know this is because I've gone through it."

"What?!" Laura's eyes widened. She'd known that her husband and his older sister had been hiding something pretty dark from her and her boys. She was a little nervous, not knowing where he was going with this, but she tried to prepare herself for whatever news her husband was going to give her as calmly.

"Laura, my father didn't die in a car accident. He committed suicide, and I saw it happen. My mother, Gertrude and myself made up the story because we didn't want people to know he was mentally ill."

"Oh my god." Laura threw a hand to her mouth. She didn't know what to say, she was just in shock. She began to cry.

As hard as it was for Fenton to talk about, he pressed on knowing it was the right thing to do. "For a long time, we kind of suspected that something wasn't quite right with him mentally, although depression wasn't ever talked about. His moods would change frequently; his emotions were all over the place. He was a police officer; we all just thought the job was getting to him. Things began to progress quickly though, once his partner was killed in the line of duty."

"My father took his death pretty hard; he blamed himself for the whole thing. They were more than just partners; they were best friends, almost brothers; just like Sam is my best friend and brother. Frank and Joe are the same..."He trailed off for a second as tears continued to pour down his face.

He took a deep breath and continued, "One day I came home from school and heard a commotion coming from my father's study. I went to check it out and that's when...I saw him standing behind his desk, all decked out in his formal uniform; he had his gun pressed against his left temple; his finger on the trigger."

"He didn't see me because his back was turned to me...he pulled the trigger...it was like I was watching it in slow motion..." Fenton's voice trailed off as the face of Frederick Hardy, flashed in his head again. "To this day I can still hear the gunshots...see the blood on the walls, his body completely still on the floor. He'd left us a note which we found on his desk. All it said was 'I'm sorry'".

"That explains why you have such a hard time getting close to people." Laura wiped away her tears. "You kept this to yourself this whole time. You were just a teenager, I am so sorry you had to go through all that."

Fenton nodded. "I've wanted to tell you for so long...I just didn't know how. I was in a really bad place in life and became depressed. I pushed so many people away." He grabbed his wife's hand. "Then you came into my life and showed me what love was, it changed everything. Even now every time I feel myself sliding back into that dark place...I think of you and the boys and how much I love you, and know that I am loved. Everything's alright again."

"Huh...the boys..." Laura sniffed back a sob. "Fenton it's not quite the same as you and Sam. The boys are more than just best friends and partners; they're brothers. You know how close they are, you saw what Frank was like when Joe was missing. Just the thought of someone killing his brother almost killed him." Laura gasped, as it suddenly hit her, just where Fenton was going with the conversation. "You don't think Frank would..."

"No, it won't come to that," Fenton reassured her quickly. "As Gertrude pointed out to me, things are a lot different now than what they were like when we were the boys' age. Laura whatever the situation is, mentally or physically, we'll do whatever it takes to make sure our boys get the help they need." He could see she was on the verge of breaking down. He stood up and took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Laura fell in to her husband's embrace letting his strong arms wrap around her making her feel safe as she cried.

"Sweetheart, I made a promise to you, and I intend to see it through. I'll do everything in my power to keep everyone safe." Fenton vowed, his face tightened with determination. "I love you." Releasing her he wiped her tears away, kissing her lips as he did so.

"I love you too." Laura looked up, teary eyed, at her husband. "I know the boys are probably asleep, but I just want to sit with them. I need to see their faces and know they're okay."

Fenton nodded. They walked hand and hand as they went to see their boys. As they arrived, not too far away from their sons' room, they heard the monitors going off, a nurse running out of the room, yelling, "Dr. Bryce, come quick!"

"Frank! Joe!" Laura and Fenton cried out in unison, arriving at the same time as Dr. Bryce.

"Nurse, what's going on?" Dr. Bryce asked her, noting the troubled look on the nurse's face.

"See for yourself. I heard the monitors going off and ran in here to check on them," She pointed into the room behind her. "And this is what I found."

Concerned something was wrong with the boys, Laura and Fenton peered into the room, alongside Dr. Bryce, monitors still going off. To their surprise they found Frank sleeping beside his brother in his bed; Joe's head resting comfortably on Frank's shoulder while the older brother had his arm around the younger brother protectively.

"Isn't this against regulations or something?" The nurse went on. "Should we move them, doctor?"

"No, leave them." The doctor smiled at the sight of the sleeping Hardy brothers. "I have a feeling they're getting the best sleep they've had for a while."

"Is this even normal?" the nurse asked. "I mean these are teenage boys not little boys."

"Yes, for them this is perfectly normally?"

"What do you mean?"

"Frank usually does this when Joe's having a nightmare or he's troubled about something." Laura commented, never taking her eyes off her sons. They may be teenagers, but in Laura's eyes, they'll always be her babies.

Fenton said simply. "Frank is doing his job. He's protecting his brother from the monsters." Fenton and Laura stepped out of the room to let the boys sleep. Dr. Bryce stepped into the room to turn the monitors off and took the opportunity to give his patients a quick check before leaving to continue his rounds.

"Fenton, we need to talk." The detective turned to see both Sam and Carl walking over to him, grim looks on their faces. Laura excused herself to go sit with the boys leaving the men to talk.

"Fenton, I couldn't get anywhere with Cindy Hayden. " Sam replied, giving his friend his news first. "She's too scared to talk." He paused before voicing an idea that he'd had. "She might feel more comfortable talking to a woman; I thought maybe Laura could try talking to her."

"I don't know...Laura may end up throttling the woman after she referred to Joe as her son." Fenton scratched at his chin as he pondered Sam's suggestion. "But I guess it's worth a try. I'll ask her as soon as I can tear her away from the boys." Fenton turned his attention over to Carl. "Now tell me your news. I take it that it isn't good news, judging by your expression."

Carl glanced at Sam before shifting his gaze back to Fenton. He sighed wearily, "Well you're right about that, it's not good news. It has to do with Hayden's trial tomorrow. Henry refuses to testify without Joe. He said Joe had promised him he'd be there in the courtroom when he was ready to testify. I tried to explain that with Joe's injuries and him needing to stay in the hospital to recover, it would be impossible for Joe to be there."

"Even Dr. Reese tried to talk to him, reason with him, but Henry won't hear of it. He's adamant that he won't testify without Joe there." Carl shook his head. "I don't know what we're going to do. if Henry doesn't testify there's a chance Hayden could go free."


	18. Chapter 18

_Hello I'm back, everything is going well with my family, my grandmother fell and broke her ankle so we've been busy helping with her, she's doing so much better, it's been a long couple of months. Thank you to those who have left me wonderful reviews and thank you to those who are following, favorites, or just reading along. and a big thank you to my beta reader elven buddy for editing and helping me with my story, you are awesome!_

 _There will probably be six chapters left after the next chapter, I'm going to start wrapping up_ Aftermath _and work on the next sequel A Brother's Revenge which will be the last one, so I can move on and write new stories. Here's my new chapter hope you like it, oh and for all you Callie fan's there will be more scenes coming up with her_ , I think you'll like :)

Aftermath Chapter 18

"Would anyone like another cup of coffee?" Carl Sims offered the men in front of him.

Sam rubbed his tired eyes as he glanced at his watch. It was 9:30 pm, and he was still sitting in the hospital cafeteria with Carl and Fenton. "No, I'm good. Thank you anyway." He replied kindly.

Sam was having a hard time wrapping his head around all that Fenton had divulged in the last hour. The good news was that Joe would recover from his injuries and the doctors were hopeful his fever would break soon. Frank on the other hand, was dealing with possible depression on top of his own medical situation.

Fenton had told them about his family's history of mental illness, so bad that he'd watched his father commit suicide when Fenton hadn't been much older than Frank and had himself dealt with depression as a result. On top of that Carl had told them that Henry was refusing to testify and Hayden could go free. It had put the detective on edge, Sam knew, and he'd thought his friend could use a break. That was why he'd suggested getting a coffee and maybe going over the case, while in another setting.

"Fenton?"

"No, thank you." Fenton declined the offer before pulling out a notepad and pen from his shirt pocket and began writing. "Okay let's go over what we know so far."

Jack Hayden

High school history teacher

Abused student including my sons' and his

Planned tutoring session, used to bully students

His reasoning: teaching Henry to be smart and fight back

Embarrassed to have a son with learning difficulties

Was beaten by his own father

Henry was found beaten, almost dead thanks to his father

"Jack Hayden the sick bastard."

Carl raised a brow at Fenton's comment. Sam noted the change Fenton's anger in the way he spoke about Hayden.

"And after what he did to my sons..." Anger ripped through Fenton as the prominent images of his sons crept into his mind; Frank tied to a dirty old bed, waiting to be beaten, Joe shut and locked in a rat infested closet.

He thought out loud as he wrote venomously, " _HAYDEN MUST DIE..."_

"Fenton stop. Take a minute to calm down." Sam laid a calming hand on Fenton's arm. Fenton just looked at him, not saying anything so Sam continued on. "Bartend had you kicked off the case because you're too emotionally involved...and he's right."

"However, if you're going to continue to pursue this case, then you need to do it with a clear head…and not allow your emotions to cloud your judgment."

"We understand you're dealing with a lot right now. We are here for you. You, Laura and the boys, are my family..." He touched a hand to his chest. "The two of us go back a long way; we've stuck together through thick and thin. You are a good man Fenton and you're so much better than this. As your best friend, partner and brother, I'm not going to let you do anything stupid."

"I've heard you tell your boys so many times, that justice had to be fought for in a court of law and not by someone just taking the law into their own hands. Remember my friend; there's no going back once you cross that line. We have to be the ones who stay in control otherwise people like Hayden win."

Sam kept his voice steady. "So come on, start thinking like the Detective Fenton Hardy we all know and do what needs to be done, the right way. The legal way."

Deep down, Fenton knew Sam was right. Frank and Joe were his first priority. As their father he had to do things the right way. He looked up at his partner. "Thank you, Sam, I needed to hear that." He replied gratefully.

Sam nodded.

Fenton took a deep, calming breath, letting himself settle down and get back to the subject at hand. "Okay, back to the case." He felt himself slipping back into detective mode. He had to stay in control of himself and allow his investigative instincts to take over in order to deal with the situation at hand.

Carl took a sip of his coffee. "Wait a minute, I thought you told me you were investigating his brother Ryan because he killed the two officers."

"I'm still investigating Ryan."

"Jack Hayden too?"

"I am."

Carl looked at Fenton. "Bartend ordered you off the Jack Hayden case, remember?" He advised his friend. "He could cause a lot of legal trouble that could hurt your career and reputation."

"To hell with that little maggot and his lawsuit." Fenton fired back. "I didn't get where I am today with my career and reputation by giving into people like Bartend. Jack Hayden didn't just hurt my boys as well as his own. He hurt other children as well and as a parent I owe it to them all to make sure he doesn't get away with hurting them. Both Hayden brothers will pay for their crimes."

Sam smiled; that sounded much more like the Fenton Hardy he knew so well.

"Carl, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." Fenton apologized. "Frank's just completely worn out that's all it is. The doctor wants the boys to relax and get some sleep and not stress out about anything."

Sam caught Fenton rubbing his eyes. The boys aren't the only ones who need to rest, he thought.

"Fenton, you don't need to apologize. This whole situation has been stressful for the whole family, you and Laura included." Carl replied sympathetically. "I completely understand."

He took his handkerchief from his back pocket using it to wipe his forehead. He looked at the two men sitting across from him. "I'm feeling the stress to; Bartend is so confident that he can get the original charges, the child abuse and attempted murder dropped."

"I've got all the evidence I need to send Hayden to prison where he belongs. I'd like to present the pictures the hospital took of Henry's injuries in court. If the jury could hear and see the emotional pain on the boy's face as he talks about the gritty details of the horrific abuse that was inflicted on him. It could play on the jury's heartstrings and convince them to vote guilty."

Carl hesitated, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "Without Henry's testimony I have no case. It'd also help me if I had Frank and Joe's statements, but I know that's impossible."

An awkward silence began to grow between the men.

"There's got to be more on Hayden." Sam added, trying to brainstorm other alternatives.

"Hayden's the one who orchestrated Joe's kidnapping. Hell, he did it to keep our minds focused on Joe and off of the trial. so that Bartend could work hard at keeping him out of prison. And what about the breaking and entering and animal abuse charges, he can still be tried for those right?"

"First off Mr. Radley, that would be considered hearsay; Hayden hasn't been charged in Joe's kidnapping," the lawyer pointed out. "We don't have any proof he had a part in the event, even though he was found at the scene of the crime. For something to be hearsay, it does not matter whether the statement was oral or written. Generally speaking, hearsay cannot be used as evidence at trial."

"As for the other charges, a fine anywhere from "100- 5,000 dollars or a..." he shook his head slightly as he continued, "One to four years prison term for animal cruelty is likely."

"Well damn it," Sam snapped. "I feel like we're missing something."

Fenton began again, "So let's move on to..." He wrote down.

Ryan Hayden

Jack Hayden's younger brother

Nurse Matthews/Karen Marshall

"This woman is wanted in connection with the deaths of two men; Duncan Edwards and Burt Winston both died with large amounts of insulin in their bloodstreams. It is possible that she was sexually violated in some way which would give her the perfect motive to kill them; what they did to her was wrong but that doesn't make what she did right either."

Sam picked up the story. "Hayden was taken to Bellevue hospital for a mental evaluation which resulted in him being diagnosed as having a mental illness and being a sociopath."

Just hearing the last part made Fenton's stomach churn. "That was the day of the fire on the second floor. It was during the evacuation that Hayden was found to be missing. Surveillance videos showed footage of two women in scrubs exiting a closet; their faces couldn't be recognized due to them wearing masks."

"So Cindy Hayden and Nurse Matthews may have been the two women that were seen in the hospital. That still leaves us with one other person who could have also helped Hayden in his disappearing act from the hospital."

"Frank and Biff Hooper met with Stanley O'Bryan, the head of maintenance." Fenton recalled the conversation he'd had over the phone with his son.

"Frank showed a picture of Nurse Matthews to Mr. O'Bryan. He said Mr. O'Bryan recognized the woman right away as the nurse who spilled coffee on him and stole his keys and car."

"O'Bryan's dark sedan matches the description of the car," Fenton tapped his pen against his notepad as he spoke, "that you, Sam and the police found abandoned two miles outside Bayport. Forensic testing told us it was the same car that was used to kidnap my son; a strand of his hair as well as some of his blood was found in the car's trunk."

He started listing the people he saw as suspects. "So we have..."

Jack Hayden

Cindy Hayden

Ryan Hayden

Karen Marshall and

One unknown person

He circled the five names. "The way I see it, these five people are all connected to each other in some way in this case. Hayden abusing Henry; the Bellevue fire, the death of the two police officers as well as Joe's abduction."

"Do you think one of them shot Joe?" Sam looked over Fenton's shoulder peering at his notes.

Fenton sighed, his voice a bit unsteady. "That would explain the blood inside the trunk."

"But wait, you wrote down Ryan Hayden," Carl took a turn looking over Fenton's notes. "He couldn't have been involved in Joe's abduction, the timing is all off. He was under house arrest at the time."

"He may not have taken part in the actual kidnapping but that doesn't mean he isn't involved."

"Officers Riley and Baker pulled the car over and found Cindy Hayden at the wheel and Joe in the backseat, bleeding to death." Fenton blinked back tears, thinking about just how close he'd come to losing his youngest child.

"So what about this part here?" Sam pointed to the last line. 'Do you still think there's another person?"

"I do."

"Do you have a suspect in mind?"

"I do." There was a pause.

Sam asked, sarcasm clear in his voice. "Well? Are you going to share what you're thinking or keep it to yourself?"

Fenton thought out loud. "Frank also mentioned something else Stanley O'Bryan had said. He said he saw a man pacing back and forth in the parking lot of the hospital. He turned away for a minute because he heard the fire alarm go off and noticed the smoke coming out of a window on the second floor. When he turned back around the man was gone."

"O'Bryan gave Frank a description of the man he saw. He was a couple years older then Frank, with blond hair and was wearing a fancy suit, like a lawyer would wear."

Carl looked at him. "You're not suggesting, who I think you're suggesting?" He shifted in his seat he felt a little uneasy about this.

"Daniel Bartend." Sam stated the answer which clearly had Carl on edge.

Fenton nodded. "I did a thorough background check on Bartend, and it came back squeaky clean. No criminal record." He gave them a quick rundown of his search and its findings. "Daniel J. Bartend is an only child, born and raised in New Haven Connecticut to Daniel Sr. and Millicent Bartend, both parents former Harvard law graduates. Bartend followed in his parents' footsteps and graduated Harvard law with top honors."

Carl shook his head, unsure as to whether he should be hearing this. "He may be an arrogant pain in the ass but I don't think he'd risk his career and do something like what you're suggesting."

"What makes you think Bartend is involved?"

"I don't know that he is or isn't. Just call it another one of my hunches." Fenton sighed wearily. "When Frank told me about the man that O'Bryan saw in the hospital's parking lot it got me thinking that maybe Bartend isn't as squeaky clean as he'd like everyone to believe."

He dropped another bombshell on them. "There's also the fact that he's got a 38 magnum revolver registered under his name."

Sam and Carl glanced at each other, unease clear in both of their facial expressions as they took in Fenton's information.

"Well maybe you're on to something." Sam nodded at Carl. "You said it yourself that Bartend is so over confident that he can get the charges dropped. It could explain why he pushed for the speedy trial."

He looked down at his now cold coffee, thinking hard as he spoke. "What if he's the type of guy who's willing to cut a few corners or agree to shady deals with his clients to make sure he comes out on top? The more cases he's got under his belt with a positive outcome as far as he's concerned will end up boosting his career. What if Bartend is willing to go so far as to help his client escape from a mental institution and help abduct a teenage boy in order to do that?" It made him angry just thinking about it.

Sam threw out a theory of his own, "What if he did help in transporting Joe…and there was a struggle and Joe tried to fight back," He cast his eyes up at Fenton. "We both know your son is a spitfire and will defend himself if he has to."

"What if even in jail Jack Hayden is still calling the shots. He knows how to manipulate everyone around him into doing what he wants. Cindy Hayden will do what he wants her to do because she's his wife and he knows all the right things to say and do in order to manipulate her. He probably sees Henry as an easy target that he can mold and manipulate."

"What about Henry? Do you think he could be a suspect?"

"No, I don't see why he would be." Fenton disagreed. "I think Henry is just a poor unfortunate soul who's taking the brunt of the abuse. Although, I do think the boy has issues of his own and needs to be thoroughly watched because he may have abusive traits like his father."

"Where is he by the way?"

"The last time I saw him he was out in the waiting room with the other kids." Sam answered.

"Okay." Fenton nodded. He suddenly thought back to what Frank had told him the day his brother had gone missing, Henry, according to his eldest, was obsessed with Joe. At the time, Fenton hadn't thought of it as too important, his thoughts all bent on finding his missing son, but now something was nagging at him and he made a mental note to deal with it.

He changed the topic, picking up on what Sam was saying, just going at it from another angle. "We know a cycle of abuse runs in the Hayden family; more than likely there's been several occasions where Jack Hayden has felt he's needed to protect his younger brother. So it's a given that Ryan sees his older brother as his protector and will do anything for him."

"Although I'm not sure how Karen Marshall fits into all this, something tells me she's somehow involved with Hayden." He added a final thought. "It could be that Bartend is being manipulated by Hayden as well. He could just be inexperienced, panicked and ended up doing the only thing he could think of...which was to shoot Joe in the leg to prevent him from escaping."

"But we need proof that Hayden is doing this. And we need to find the gun." Sam pointed out. "If only we could talk to Joe. He could fill in the blanks and tell us what happened to him."

"It'd help too if Frank and Joe could be in court tomorrow; their testimonies are just as important as Henry's." Carl spoke up.

"That's not going to happen. Dr. Bryce, Laura and I won't put them through anymore stress." Fenton said firmly.

Then an idea came to Carl. "But you know, there may be someone who could help us."

"Who's that?" Fenton asked curiously.

"Cindy Hayden."

Sam and Fenton just looked at him in puzzlement. "If you couldn't get Henry to agree to testify against Hayden, what makes you think she will?" Sam countered the idea.

"Cindy would be a character witness. She would know the rationale behind everything Hayden has done. If we could offer her a deal, a lighter sentence by at least a few years, she might help us."

"If she agrees." Sam replied doubtfully.

"She may be our best shot at getting Hayden convicted." Carl turned towards Fenton and asked, "Do you think Laura would talk to her?"

"She might be angry with the woman but if Laura knows that it'd ultimately help the boys, I know she'd agree." Fenton agreed.

"Where is Cindy right now?"

Sam set his coffee cup aside. "She's still out in the waiting room with Officer Baker."

"We need to get Cindy Hayden into protective custody ASAP."

Carl drank the last of his coffee. "I could wake the judge up and see if I can get him to delay the trial for a couple of days. I could explain the situation to him; with both Frank and Joe in the hospital, hopefully it'd give them time to recover and, if both you and the doctor agree to it, we could potentially record their testimonies, here in the hospital."

"I think that'd be alright." Fenton nodded. "Hopefully Joe's fever will break by morning."

The three men got up and left the cafeteria.

Back in the waiting room, Fenton spotted the woman in question handcuffed to a chair, Officer Baker standing guard beside her. Cindy had head down avoiding eye contact with everyone. He also noticed that Chief Collig was in the waiting room talking to Con.

The Chief looked up and smiled grimly when he saw Fenton, Sam and Carl approaching. "Fenton, how are the boys?" He asked concern. "Officer Riley just filled me in on him pulling over Ryan Hayden's car and finding Cindy Hayden and Joe."

Fenton quickly filled the chief in on the situation with his sons. The Chief expressed his sympathy and offered to help the Hardy family out any way he could. From there the trio of friends took turns telling the chief about the case and their latest theory.

The Chief agreed to help put Cindy Hayden in protective custody. "I've already taken the liberty of arranging more security for the hospital. I'll have a female officer relieve Baker and stay with Mrs. Hayden."

Officer Riley insisted he and Baker take shifts to stand guard outside of Frank and Joe's room. "You have my word Fenton, we will not leave them, nobody'll get past me. I'll guard those boys with my life."

"Thank you both, that really means a lot." Fenton expressed his gratitude. He took comfort in knowing his sons were well protected and he could count on his friends from the Bayport police department.

"Now, I need to go talk to Laura." With that, Fenton headed off with Con Riley trailing behind him, to find his wife and check on his boys.

(OOOO)

"No I will not talk to that woman!" Laura replied heatedly. She turned abruptly to go back to her sons. "She's not taking my child from me." Fenton had to practically drag his stubborn wife out of the boys' room, getting her a little distance from the room as Con stood outside to keep watch.

"Laura, please listen to me." Fenton stepped into her path, preventing her from going anywhere. He could see the fire ignite in her blue eyes that always reminded him so much of their youngest. He'd always loved just how protective she was, she was like a mother bear when it came to her boys. "You are his mother; she's not going to take Joe away from you. I promise."

"I'm sorry; I know I dropped a lot on you, telling you about my father's death, when we're already dealing with the situation around the boys." He squeezed his wife's shoulder and took a deep breath." I need your help. Hayden's trial starts tomorrow. Henry is refusing to testify without Joe there. And you and I both know that's not possible."

"Carl Sims is hoping Cindy Hayden will agree to testify against her husband. She's too scared to talk. We were hoping that maybe you could try talking to her." Fenton could almost see the wheels turning in her beautiful head. Before she could refuse, he decided to try one last thing in order to convince her. "It would take a lot of stress off the boys; especially Frank."

Laura hesitated a moment before taking a deep breath. Expelling it, her voice was calm as she finally answered. "Okay, for the boys, I'll talk to her."

Fenton smiled, kissing her forehead. "Thank you, honey." He'd known she'd come around.

They headed back to the waiting room, just as they heard someone scream. "Get away from me!" Glancing at each other, quickly, they both broke into a run needing to see what was going on.


	19. Chapter 19

**_Hello, everyone I am sorry for taking so long to update,_** **I've been working on chapter 20 and it's going slow got a bit of writer's block...and between my work schedule and helping out with my grandma it's been crazy. But I swear I'm going to finish this story I will not abandon it.**

 **Thank you to those who are reading, following, and favorites.** **As for those of you who sent me wonderful reviews:** ** _casey Landry, Thank you I'm glad that you like the stores. I'm a big Hardy boys fan. I haven't read all of the Nancy Drew and Hardy boys mysteries but I have read a few that are really good. My favorites series is the Hardy Boys the Classifies._**

 ** _Kiwanis, I'll post soon thank you for your review :)_**

 ** _racey losh, Hi, just call me Erin, thank you for your review and I'm glad you like the story. And welcome to fan fiction I can tell you it is very addictive, there are a lot of good stories on here. I try to update whenever I can usually when my work schedule will allow me too. My grandma is doing better, but still needs help getting around thank you so for caring :)_**

 ** _To answer you question I don't really have a specific day I post a story. I finish a chapter I send it to my beta reader who helps me edit and fixes my grammar and other things. I will post a new one as soon as I can; as for Henry...well you'll just have to keep reading...and make your own conclusion._**

 **SEM1001 and J _udy, Thank you for your reviews :)_**

 ** _Cherylann Rivers, Thank you for your review, Laura is about to became a big help in the next chapter. I'm trying to make her a strong character I would think she'd have to be given that she's the wife of the famous detective and mother of the hardy boys :)_**

 ** _t4swp, Thank you for your review I try to learn as much as I can to improve my writing. :)_**

 ** _Candylou, Thank you for your review Henry's behavior will be revealed to everyone soon enough :)_**

Aftermath Chapter 19

Fenton and Laura Hardy were surprised to find Cindy Hayden and her son in the waiting room together, even if it was in a standoff. Cindy was in tears, as she was restrained by a female police officer while Henry's face was beet red, tears rolling down his face, hands clenched as he was held back by Donna Morton, Charles lending her his support nearby. Chief Collig, Officer Baker, Sam and Dr. Reese as well as the teens stood close by, watching the scene unfold.

"Henry, please!" Cindy Hayden cried, taking a step forward she held her hands out to her son, handcuffs clanging as she did so.

"I said get away from me!" Henry took several steps away from her to put some distance between them.

The female officer held the mother back. "Ma'am you need to stay back."

"Please, baby, I'm so sorry. I-I promise, things are going to be different... you'll see." Cindy pleaded, making another attempt to grab at her son, the officer tightening her grip.

"You're always sorry." Henry glared at her. "You always say things will be different. But they never do, it's always the same," He fired back. "Jack beats the shit out of me...and you do nothing _!"_

"Henry...please...I'm your mother...I love you."

"No you're not, you're dead to me. I have a new mother now." Henry replied coldly. His expression softened as he shot a smile at Donna Morton. "She's been more of a mother to me than you've ever been."

"That's right," Donna gazed steadily at Cindy. "You lost your right to be this boy's mother when you allowed the monster you married to beat him." She put a protective arm around Henry's shoulder and pulled him close to her. "I will not let you hurt my son ever again!"

Chet's face flushed in both anger and hurt, yet he said nothing. Charles was quick enough to catch a glimpse of his son's facial expression as he reprimanded his wife. "Donna, that's enough. Calm down."

"Henry is my son! You can't keep me from him." Cindy said, suddenly getting all defensive. "I want him back!"

She made yet another attempt at grabbing her son, but the female officer's hold on her was too strong. She wasn't going anywhere. "Ma'am you need to stay back, please."

Laura gasped at the hateful way Henry spoke to his mother, although she supposed she couldn't really blame him for being angry. Mothers were supposed to protect their children from harm and Henry's mother had failed to do that. She watched as Cindy clenched her jaw, tears welling up in her eyes; clearly Henry's words that hurt her to the core. Then a part of Laura began to feel sorry for Cindy and she realized that she'd probably tried her best to protect her child the only way she could with Hayden overpowering her at every turn. Maybe Cindy needed someone to be on her side, to help give her the courage to fight back.

Then Laura turned her attention to Donna Morton and noting the hurt look on her son's face, her heart went out to Chet. How could Donna be so blind as to not see what was right in front of her? Her son still needed his mother. Laura had a few things she'd like to say to her friend.

"I think we all need to calm down here." Dr. Reese stepped in before things got too out of hand. She looked at her young patient. "Henry let's go somewhere where we can talk..."

Henry narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "Go away. I don't want your help anymore. I want everyone to leave me the hell alone!" He shouted before taking off and running out of the waiting room, Dr. Reese trailing after him.

Just then Dr. Bryce came into the waiting room. "I don't know what the heck is going on in here, but this is a hospital and you're disturbing the patients here who are trying to rest. So therefore, visiting hours are over; you can come back tomorrow, any time between 10 am to 9pm, hopefully in a calm, respectful manner."

Tony, Biff, Chet and Phil started to leave with the promise that they would be back tomorrow after school to see Frank and Joe. Callie didn't want to leave but Chet had convinced her to go home and get some rest so that she would be well rested when Frank saw her tomorrow. She agreed and made a mental note to talk to Laura about restricting Henry's access to Frank and Joe via their visitors list.

Biff still had the keys to Frank and Joe's van. He knew they wouldn't mind his borrowing it, especially if he did Frank a favor in making sure Callie got home safely. Gertrude left to go home and would be back in the morning to bring a fresh set of clothes for the boys.

Donna started to go after Henry but Charles placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. 'Donna, let him go."

"What? You can't be serious. Henry needs me. I have to go to him." She looked at her husband.

"I said let him go." Charles said firmly.

"Charles..." She argued pulling away from him.

"We need to go home and have ourselves a nice long talk." Originally Charles had planned to first talk to Fenton about placing Henry in another foster home but now Charles needed to put his family first in making sure they were taken care of.

"But..."

"Donna...we're going home." Charles said leaving no room to argue. "Chet…" He turned to his son.

"I'm spending the night at Biff's house." Chet swallowed back his anger. He didn't want to be around his mother right now.

"It's okay with me Mr. Morton," Biff stood beside his stout friend, draping a protective arm around him. "And I'm sure my parents won't mind having Chet stay over."

Charles just looked at his son; he understood he needed a break. "That's fine. We'll see you tomorrow Chet." With that he and his wife left.

"Officer Lynda, I need you, and Officer Baker to take Mrs. Hayden to the station for questioning." Chief Collig ordered. "And Baker, you'll be back here in a few hours to replace Officer Riley and stand guard outside the Hardys' room."

"Yes sir." The two officers replied before escorting the woman from the room.

"It looks like we'll have to talk to Cindy at the station." Fenton said to Laura once all the drama was gone.

His wife replied, a stubborn edge to her voice. "I wasn't planning on leaving the hospital." She folded her arms to her chest. "I'm not leaving the boys."

Fenton tried to reason with her. "Honey, the boys will be fine, they're in good hands. Con's here as is the hospital staff. Chief Collig has the hospital secured; No one is getting in here to hurt them."

"We need your help in convincing Cindy to agree to testify against Hayden. If she agrees to do it; it'll take a load of stress off of the boys."

"Alright," Laura finally agreed to help Cindy, even though she was still angry at the thought of that woman taking Joe from her. "I'll go to the station and talk to her, but I'm coming back here once we're done."

Fenton decided it would be best not to argue with his wife at this point, however he couldn't shake an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that trouble was brewing. He'd asked Sam to find Henry and keep a close eye on him. Fenton rationalized that it was necessary given that Henry was a witness in Hayden's upcoming trial on the chance he'd agree to testify. Sam had agreed with Fenton's logic and had left to go find the teen.

Tony, Biff, Chet and Callie started to leave. "Hey, guys wait, we can't leave yet." Phil stopped them in their tracks. "Seth went looking for Henry." He said worriedly, "We need to find my cousin before that crazy lunatic hurts him."

(OOOO)

Henry ran out into the starry night, stopping midway down the sidewalk, ignoring the strange looks people were giving him.

"Henry, wait up!" He stopped to catch his breath and whirled around to see Seth running towards him. He'd finally lost Dr. Reese, who'd been trailing after him; now he had to deal with this idiot.

"What do you want?" He snarled narrowing his eyes at the teen.

"I'm Seth Cohen." He introduced himself between breaths. He wanted to keep Henry distracted for a while in order to give his cousin and his friends a break. "I saw you were upset and thought you'd like to talk."

"Why should I talk to you? You're friends with them." Henry shot back. "You probably just came out here to hate on me some more."

"I don't hate you, I don't even know you." Seth shook his head. He was trying his best to keep things calm and in control. "But I'd like to get to know you, if you'll let me."

"Don't bother."

"I know how you're feeling."

"No you don't!" Henry fired back. "Unless you've gotten the shit beaten out of you your whole life, then you know nothing of how I'm feeling."

"My situation might not be quite the same as yours," Seth answered calmly. "But I do know what it's like to get beat up and bullied by kids at school because of my dyslexia. For a long time I felt like nobody cared about me, just because I was different." He continued, doing his best to sound encouraging. "But I realized that that wasn't true; I found people who did care about me and found ways to help me cope with my dyslexia. There are people who care about you and want to help."

"I care about you, and want to help, that is, if you'll let me."

"The only person who cares about me is Joe." Henry said sadly.

Seth nodded, to show he was listening. "I'm kind of at a disadvantage here. I haven't had the chance to get to know Joe, or Frank for that matter. But from what I've heard they both sound like really nice guys."

Just hearing Frank Hardy's name made his blood boil. "I hate Frank...he's turned everyone against me. It's only a matter of time before he turns Joe against me too." Henry fumed. "But no one's going to keep him from me. I can't lose Joe...I won't."

"Why do you care about Joe so much? You're not in love with him, are you?"

Henry saw red. "It's not like that! He's my friend!" He snapped, balling his hands into fists. His blue eyes were blazing hot as he directed them at Seth.

Seth winced, realizing that he might've just crossed a line, he shouldn't have. "Whoa. Whoa...I'm sorry, I just thought..." He held his hands out and slowly backed away from the kid. He was beginning to think that maybe this wasn't a good idea; he should've listened to his cousin.

He gestured towards a bench that was close by. "Why don't we sit down, nice and calm and you can help me understand why Joe is so important to you. Just give me five minutes, that's all I ask and then I promise I'll leave you alone."

Henry hesitated for a moment. Seth saw his face soften as a smile slid across his face. "Okay."He said calmly, as though it were no big deal.

Wow, what just happened? Seth thought, this kid's a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he'd gone from spitting angry to serenely calm in such a short time. He could see now what his cousin and his friends were talking about. There was definitely something not right about him; he was going to hurt someone. A cold chill ran down Seth's spine as he came to the realization. He had to keep things calm or else he was the one who could end up getting hurt.

With that the two boys went and sat down at the bench. Henry calmly began to explain to Seth, "The reason I like Joe is because..."

(OOOO)

A block away from the hospital, Daniel Bartend was sitting in his car. Moments ago he had watched Cindy Hayden being escorted out of the hospital by two police officers and into the back of a cruiser. He was supposed to get rid of her too; but he could only do one at a time, he had to pick one on which to focus. He knew the Hardy kid would be the more challenging one to get to. How the hell was he supposed to get into the hospital to kill him? He huffed.

 _"It's either you kill Joe Hardy or I kill you."_ Hayden's threat echoed in his head. "I can officially kiss my law career goodbye. How did I get myself mixed up in this?" Next he saw Fenton Hardy walk out of the hospital with his wife. They got into a car and drove off.

Then he saw two boys run out, one after the other. They stopped midway down the sidewalk and from what he could see, got into a heated discussion. It was dark outside but with the streetlamps help he could see the boys clearly enough; both boys had blond hair but where one was wearing glasses and a button down shirt the other was wearing a dark Spider-Man shirt. He recognized one of the boys instantly with those details in mind.

"I don't believe it, Henry Jacobs. What is that kid doing out here by himself? I'd think they would have him on a very short leash, considering he's supposed to be Carl Sims' star witness."

He sat up straighter as he watched Henry shout at the other boy, his face red, hands clenched at his sides. The other boy held his hands up as though in defense and began to back away from Henry. He noticed how the other boy kept talking, finally succeeding in calming the younger teen down. The two boys sat down at the bench the older teen had gestured at as Henry began to talk calmly. Bartend sighed in relief, thankful he wasn't going to have to intervene; for a moment he'd thought Henry was going to flay into the older teen.

"Damn the kid's got a temper, just like his father". He repeated the thought as an idea slowly came to him. The kid could be a great help to him, he realized. Leaning over, he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a .38 revolver.

No, he couldn't do it, he shook his head at himself. It'd be insane to give a loaded gun to a kid like that. But Hayden's threat came back to the forefront of his mind. It was either he kill Joe Hardy, or Hayden would kill him. Bartend couldn't help arguing with himself. If Henry just _happened_ to do something insane it could convince the judge to declare a mistrial.

He was going to win this case, Hayden was going to be a free man and better yet, Bartend knew who was going to kill Joe Hardy. He held the gun loosely in his lap as he looked back at Henry Jacobs.

(OOOO)

"No! Get away!" Joe cried, pushing Frank's arm away, the move jolting Frank from his sleep.

"Joe, it's okay; I'm here. Just calm down".

Once again, Joe didn't answer; he was trapped in another nightmare. "No! Let me go! Get away! Frank, help me!" With that, Joe's eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly, his eyes panicked as he looked around the room. Frank could see he was drenched in a cold sweat as his brother moved his hand to rub at his face tiredly.

Frank sat up and touched Joe's forehead; it was cool to the touch, Joe's fever had finally broken. "Joe, take it easy," Frank soothed him. "You're safe, lay back down and rest."

"I-I can't." Joe gulped nervously. His blue eyes continued to scan the room. He couldn't explain the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey, is everything alright? I can get the doctor if you need him." Con asked with concern as he walked into the room.

"I'm not sure," Frank didn't take his gaze off his brother for a moment, even if he was surprised to see their friend and was wondering why he was here. "I think he just had another nightmare. The good news though, is that his fever seems to have finally broken."

He patted the space next to him, "Joe, come on, lay back down next to me and rest."

"No, I-I can't...we have to be ready." Joe shook his head.

"Ready for what?"

With one hand, Joe began to bunch the blanket so tight that his knuckles were turning white; with the other hand Joe touched his leg, reassuring himself it was still there. He kept intermittently whimpering, "Don't let them get me...please... Don't let them get me."

"You're safe." Frank kept his voice calm as he reassured his brother. "I won't let anyone hurt you." He hated seeing the fear on Joe's face. He wanted his tough as nails, ready to kick ass, kid brother back.

Joe had to be dealing with PTSD; he'd already been dealing with it from experiences in past cases. He had yet to give them any details as to what had happened in this latest abduction. Frank prayed to God that it didn't make things any harder to deal with than they were already. He hated Hayden and everyone associated with him for everything they'd done and how it was affecting them, particularly Joe. They were all going to pay.

There was a slight ache in his chest and he began to rub at it, willing the pain to go away. He didn't want to tell Joe about his own medical situation, not just yet. He knew the thought of his older brother being depressed would scare Joe and so Frank forced his own pain to the back of his mind; it wasn't about him right now. He had to focus on Joe.

"That's right Joe; you're safe," Con said firmly. "Chief Collig himself has arranged for the hospital's security to be beefed up. And you know the Chief'll have it so tight it'll take an army for anyone to get through here." Gesturing at himself, Con continued. "And I've taken it upon myself to stand guard right outside the room. I gave your father my word," Con thumped himself in the chest for emphasis, "that I'd protect you both with my life, if it came down to it."

Frank noticed there were the beginnings of tears at the corner of Con's eyes. He wondered what the heck was going on. Why did Chief Collig practically have the hospital on lockdown? The obvious reason, Frank knew, was that Joe's abductors, as well as the person who'd shot him were still at large.

"It doesn't matter how secure you think the hospital is; they'll always find a way in." Joe clutched a hand to his chest. "I can't explain it but I have this bad feeling..."

"What do you mean?" Frank couldn't explain how he knew it, but he knew his brother was right. The pain in his own chest started to increase. He knew whatever Joe was feeling, he was feeling it too.

Joe muttered under his breath, "Someone's going to die." Frank and Con glanced at each other as a cold chill ran down their spines.


	20. Chapter 20

racey losh, Funtime foxy, guest, Kiwanis, caseylandry, Cherylann Rivers, unknown admirer, Candylou, amblewat I'd like to thank you for wonderful reviews, and to those who are following, favorites or just reading my story thank you. Here is my new chapter hope you like it's kind of a short one :)

Aftermath chapter 20

 _"What do you mean?" Frank couldn't explain how he knew it, but he knew his brother was right. The pain in his own chest started to increase. He knew whatever Joe was feeling, he was feeling it too._

 _Joe muttered under his breath, "Someone's going to die." Frank and Con glanced at each other as a cold chill ran down their spines._

"Why do you say that?" Frank cleared his throat before turning back to his brother.

Joe bit his lip as he trembled standing there. "I don't know; it's just a feeling I have, like something bad is going to happen." He released the hold he had on the blanket, rubbing a hand over his heart instead.

"This is crazy! Why am I feeling it to?" Frank winced in pain. He turned away from Joe so his brother didn't see his pained expression as he swung his legs over the bed.

"Frank, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Joe...just a leg cramp." Frank lied as his breathing got heavier due to the increase of pain. It felt like a vice was squeezing his chest; he couldn't breathe.

Frank quickly changed the subject. "You know you've been through a lot in the last couple of days. Having nightmares makes perfect sense when you take that into consideration. I know you'd feel better if you talked about it..." He trailed off as pain again shot through his chest.

"Frank!" Joe started to get up to help his brother but sank back onto the bed as the pain in his leg started to increase.

"I'll get the doctor!" Con tried to stay calm. He'd been kept abreast of everything that'd been going on thanks to Fenton so he was well aware of everything Frank was going through. Although for some reason the teen was trying to hide it from his younger brother. Con figured that maybe Frank thought it would scare Joe, knowing Frank was sick; especially since the boys could sense what the other was feeling.

"No! No Con, that's not necessary. I-I'm fine." Frank panted out between each painful breath, stopping the officer in his tracks.

"You don't sound fine. Now, what's wrong?!" Joe said hurriedly.

"N-nothing."

Joe ran a hand through his sweaty hair. He was grateful that his fever had broken but he still felt like hell. However right now he was more concerned for Frank. Something was wrong with him, yet he knew his older brother wouldn't come out and tell him. He was going to have to pry the truth out of Frank.

"Frank, turn around and look at me."

Frank quickly dashed his tears away, composing himself. Once he got his breathing under control, he stood up and turned to face Joe. Holding onto the bedpost he answered in as steady a voice as he could manage. "See? I'm fine".

"Then why are you clutching at your chest and holding onto my bed?" Joe argued, plucking at his hospital gown to show his brother. "Big brother, you're wearing the same thing I am. I can see that the marks on your wrist are from an IV. There's also that," he pointed to the unmade bed beside his, "not to mention that you're very pale and you look as though you're going to collapse where you stand."

"I told you it's nothing."

Frank did his best to steer the conversation away from him. "Joe, you told me earlier that Nurse Matthews was the person who took the bullet out of your leg; is she one of the people who kidnapped you? And what did you mean by, 'they'll always find a way in'? Who are they?"

Joe was too angry with his brother to want to talk about his ordeal. Stubbornly, he laid his head down on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling counting to ten all the while.

"Come on, Joe, talk to us." Once the pain in his chest eased up a bit Frank took a deep breath. "You have every right to be scared but please don't let them, Hayden especially, get away with what they did to you."

Again Joe said nothing; Hayden's face flaring in his memory. He jumped slightly when a hand squeezed his shoulder. Lifting his gaze upwards he saw Con standing beside his bed.

"Joe, do you remember how you got to the hospital?" Con asked. He didn't want to push, but he was hoping to get Joe to talk to them.

Joe blinked as he tried to remember. "I was out of it so much; it's all kind of a blur." "He shook his head. "I remember hearing a siren, and then hearing your voice, Con. It was clear, like you were right beside me, then I heard Dad's voice...but it sounded like he was far away."

"And...Mom."

"Mom? Are you sure you heard Mom's voice?" Frank cocked an eyebrow, confused. Joe had been out of it so much due to the fever. He was sure their mother had been here sitting at their bedside as she usually did when they were hurt or sick. It was possible that that was why Joe remembered hearing her voice but was putting it in the wrong context.

"Yeah, I remember her blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked like Mom but she didn't _sound_ like Mom." Joe continued thinking out loud. "She was driving the car. She was crying; I remember hearing the panic in her voice. She kept telling me how sorry she was and promising things would be different."

"She didn't sound like Mom, but Mom was driving? Joe, what are you talking about?" Frank was really confused. "What car?"

"I think I can answer that." Con spoke up grabbing the brothers' attention for the first time. "Joe are you sure it wasn't Cindy Hayden's voice you were hearing?"

"I don't know."

Con took the time to quickly fill the brothers in on how the two officers had pulled Ryan Hayden's car over and found Cindy Hayden at the wheel with Joe in the backseat, slowly bleeding to death. His voice began to crack as he finished. "Dr. Bryce said had we waited for an ambulance, you would have died."

Frank was stunned hearing how the Chief had reacted and the lengths he'd go to in order to protect the brothers. And Con...what he'd done. He'd saved Joe's life. He rubbed at the pain in his chest; tears began to seep out of the corners of his eyes as he thought about how close he'd came to losing his little brother. He was incredibly grateful to his friends in the Bayport police department.

Frank asked, as he tried to put everything together in his mind. "So is that why the Chief basically has the hospital on lockdown, Con? Does it have anything to do with Joe's abductors and the person who shot him?"

"Yes." Con nodded. "The Chief wanted to take the burden of making sure you're safe off of your father's shoulders. That way he could concentrate solely on you and Joe."

Joe didn't know what to think. He was shocked at what Con and his partner had done. He wasn't sure how, but he'd find a way to repay his friend for saving his life.

"Joe, are you sure you don't remember any of that? Do you remember the person who shot you?"

 _Again Joe shook his head as he continued to think to himself. Maybe it had been Cindy Hayden's voice he'd heard and not his mother's. But what had Cindy been doing behind the wheel of Ryan Hayden's car? It was almost as though they'd been trying to get away from Ryan but why would Cindy have wanted that? Joe felt as though she'd told him something she shouldn't have, something important. Grrrr! What the hell had she told him?_

"Joe, talk to us." Frank said feeling frustrated that Joe wouldn't answer him. "I want my fearless kid brother back."

A heavy silence filled the room as neither brother spoke.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Joe said, breaking the silence. "But first, you have to answer my questions."

"O-okay?"

"Why are you in the hospital?"

"For you." Frank vaguely replied. He knew Joe was fishing for the truth, and he wasn't going to stop until he got it.

"Liar." Joe just looked at him. He wasn't buying it. "You're not here, just for me. You're a patient, aren't you? Are you sick?"

"In a way, yes, I'm a patient." Frank replied, catching his breath. "I haven't slept in the last couple of nights since you went missing. I completely worn myself out that's all. Dr. Bryce wants me to relax and not stress out about anything."

"Stop. "

"Stop what? Joe, I..."

"You do this to me all the time; it's why I've been so angry with you. Why I'm _still_ angry with you."

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

Joe clicked his tongue out of annoyance and rolled his eyes. "You're doing it again."

"Do you remember that little speech you gave me about how things are going to change, with you trying to figure out who you are? The kind of man you want to be and Mom and Dad will need to take a step back and allow you to make your own decisions. And how soon it'll be my turn, and, blah, blah, blah."

Joe paused for moment to catch his breath. "The truth is, you don't want me to change. You want me to stay immature and careless, the little brother who can't seem to keep himself out of trouble. That way you'll be able to swoop in and save the day as usual. You think I can't handle whatever it is that's going on with you. You think I'm going to fall apart. You don't trust me."

"That is not true, I trust you!" Frank cried as he rubbed at his chest, willing the pain to go away. "It is true, I haven't slept since you went missing! I was going crazy because... my last memory of you would've been that stupid fight we had, right before we both stormed off."

"You headed towards the Morton's stable and I had gone up to that oak tree to cool off. I went back to that barn where the party for Henry was taking place. Everyone was there except for Dad and you. Dad was out with the police looking for Hayden. Chet came to the barn and told us that he'd found the back door had been broken into and his dog was gone."

"I can tell you, in all honesty little brother, my heart almost stopped right there. Con and I immediately ran to the stable to look for you." Frank's tight throat made it difficult for him to speak. "In my mind right now, I've got a very vivid picture of Hayden standing next to Duke's body, his bloody knife in his hand. I thought the worst. After all, if he could do that to a dog, what had he done to you? If Dad and Con hadn't restrained me, forcing me to stop, I would have squeezed the life out of Hayden, then and there; you were the only thing I could think of."

"Everyone that was at the Mortons' searched for you; we searched every inch of the property. The only thing we found was your wallet in the stable; otherwise there was no trace of you." Frank felt like he was going to be sick, as he relayed the night his world had flipped upside down, to Joe. "All I knew was the fact that you were gone."

 _Joe turned his head away, as he shivered inwardly, the images of what he'd gone through flooded his mind. Hayden! The blood...Chet's dog and the bloody knife. Henry and a sharp prick on his neck, followed by darkness. A masked man... Bang! His leg had been shot! Crazy Nurse Matthews: "it's either your leg or your life"... Ryan Hayden: "He's the key to Jack's freedom!" Cindy Hayden...argh! What had she told him?!"_

Joe used his brother's voice to guide him out of his thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. "I've got your back; everything is going to be okay. We both know that we still have things to work out...and we will work them out. It'll take time but we both know we'll work them out eventually."

Joe propped himself up on his elbows and glared at him. "What about Henry?" He couldn't help himself; he had the sudden need to defend his friend.

He really wanted to work things out with Frank but he didn't know how to fix it. "Can you trust my decision to be friends with him? I want to help him. He needs a friend and I'm going to be there for him. I promised him I'd be there with him during the trial."

"Stop, right there." Frank tightened the grip he had on his chest as another sharp pain shot through his heart. "I don't want to talk about him." Just hearing the kid's name made his blood boil. Well, he'd gotten Joe fired up. Lying to him about his health as well as Henry, had, unfortunately for Frank, been enough to flare up his brother's temper.

"Why, where is he?" Joe asked worriedly thinking his friend was in danger. "Has something happened to him?" He started to get up out of bed, all the movement causing the pain in his leg to flare up again. "Ow!"

"Joe, take it easy!" Frank cried as he and Con gently pulled Joe back to rest against the pillows.

"Where is Henry?" Joe demanded between painful breaths as he pulled away. He propped his leg back up onto one of the pillows.

"At the moment I don't care." Frank replied simply as he took a step backwards. As far as he was concerned he hoped Henry would stay as far from his brother as possible.

"Damn it Frank!"

"Enough!" Con intervened; he couldn't stand by and watch this anymore. "You both need to calm down; especially you Frank. If you don't, I will get Dr. Bryce."

"Why, Con? Do you know what's wrong with Frank?" Joe asked. He decided to set aside the issue with Henry for now, and turn his attention back to his big brother. Something was wrong with him and Joe was determined to know what his older brother was hiding.

"I'm sorry Joe, I can't answer that. It's not my place to tell you." Con said, regret clear in his voice as he glanced from Joe to Frank. "It's best you hear it from him."

"He won't tell me anything! Where're Mom and Dad? They'll make him tell me."

"They're not here right now."

Joe huffed impatiently, "Fine, Con, then go get Dr. Bryce. I want answers."

"That I can do." Con swallowed a heavy lump in his throat as he looked at the elder Hardy brother. Frank nodded his assent; Con nodded back and left the room to find the doctor.

(OOOO)

Once Con left Joe took a moment to calm down and gather his thoughts. "While I was being held captive at the cabin," he put his hand to his chest, a gesture that was becoming very familiar to him, "I felt it in my heart that you were in trouble, although I wasn't sure how or why. You had to be either sick or in danger. I fought my way back to you."

Cabin? Frank noticed Joe had let the word slip from his lips. So they'd held Joe in a cabin, although Frank didn't know where it was located.

Before he could ask Joe about it, his younger brother continued, "I thought we promised to never keep secrets from each other or has that changed to?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Frank countered as he winced, wishing his all his might that the pain would go away.

"Alright I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything that happened to me!" Joe stared into his brother's brown eyes. "Please, Frank, tell me the freaking truth. I can't stand to see you in pain."

Tears began running down his face. "I have this feeling that someone is going to die; it's you isn't it?"

He was scared to know the truth, but he had to know. "Are you d-dying?"

"I don't know." Frank answered. He cleared his throat as he blinked back tears of his own. "I really don't know, but I won't be, at least if I have anything to say about it."

Joe's eyes widened as his heart sank. "What?" He gasped.

"Joe, I do trust you. And maybe you can handle what I'm about to tell you. Honestly, I don't know if I can handle it." Frank couldn't avoid it now; Joe had a right to know the truth. He climbed into the hospital bed, putting an arm around Joe as he settled beside him, in an effort to support him.

He wiped Joe's tears away with his thumb. "I'm still coming to terms with the news myself and..." his voice trailed off as he struggled with what he wanted to say. He rubbed at his chest with his free hand as he admitted, "I'm scared."

As those words left Frank's mouth, Joe looked at him. For the first time he saw pure fear in his big brother's eyes. It had to be something serious for Frank to admit he was afraid.

"Frank, if you're sick, I'll take care of you." He cleared his throat and kept his voice steady, "Just tell me. Whatever it is, we'll fight it together, just like any other enemy we've had to face. We're partners to the end."

Just hearing his little brother say he'd fight along with him brought fresh tears to Frank's eyes. He smiled, he felt better now that he'd admitted his fear. "Partners, yes Joe that we are. As for the end... it's not the end, for me, not for us. It's only the beginning."

"Alright, here it goes." He took a deep breath before launching into his explanation about his heart condition and depression. "Dr. Bryce said I have something called angina..."


	21. Chapter 21

Hi thank you everyone for your reviews, following, favorites, or just reading, Here's my new chapter hope you like it.

Aftermath Chapter 21

Depression.

Coronary heart disease.

Heart attacks.

This had to be a joke; yeah that's all it was, and a dirty, rotten joke at that! Joe thought to himself as he laid back on his pillow, tears streaming down his face. He was completely heartbroken; he couldn't wrap his mind around everything his brother had just told him. Joe would've never thought that his brother would ever be linked, in any way, to those diagnoses.

Sure Frank had always had a hard time expressing his emotions, but Joe would've never have guessed that his brother was depressed. Joe didn't know what to think. Depressed... he turned the word over in his mind. No, that couldn't be Frank.

"Joe, are you alright?"

Joe glanced up his eyes connecting with his brother's who had concern written all over his face. How could Frank be asking him that? 'Was he alright', really he should be the one asking Frank that. Joe played the rest of Frank's words over in his mind. _"Dr. Bryce also told me that stress could also play a part in_ angina _as it can it can increase the risk of heart attacks."_

Heart attacks! What!? No, that couldn't happen to Frank. Frank was the healthiest person Joe knew. He always took good care of himself; he stayed in good shape and ate healthy- he hardly ever pigged out like Joe did. Okay, maybe he had a piece of chocolate cake every year when Aunt Gertrude made it for his birthday, as she knew it was his favorite. But heart attacks...no, not Frank.

The last part of what Frank had told him though had him stunned. _"The doctor also mentioned that depression is the strongest predictor of death..."_

Death! Sure, death was uncertain and you never knew when your time was up. But for goodness sakes, Frank was only eighteen, he was supposed to have his whole life ahead of him. He was going to be going to college soon, and he wanted to marry Callie some day. The two of them wanted to work fulltime with Dad, 'Hardy and Sons' Detective Agency' that was their dream!

However, too much stress on the heart- at any age- was never a good thing. Lately, Frank had had a lot of reasons to be stressed, Joe realized with horror, mostly to do with him. Arguing with him probably hadn't helped matters, but now it was killing him.

What Joe had just realized hit him like a ton of bricks. Oh my God! He was killing his brother! Joe sat up quickly. He let out a heavy sigh as he wiped the tears that had fallen off of his face. "I'm sorry Frank; I didn't mean to stress you out so much with all my stupid shit!"

"Joe, don't." Frank cut him off. "Don't go blaming yourself for this. This isn't your fault. I have to learn to manage my stress better." He patted at his chest "Dr. Bryce is going to run some tests in the morning, to make sure my heart's okay. As for being depressed..." He took a breath before swallowing a lump in his throat. "...that's a whole other story."

"None of this will stop me, or us, from getting everything we've worked so hard for." Frank tried to convince himself. "I'm graduating in June. I'm going to Princeton. I'm going to marry Callie." _It would happen, damn it!_

"Our dream of working fulltime with Dad will happen, Joe. 'Hardy and Sons' Detective Agency' will happen just like we've always planned. Like I said before, this is only the beginning."

"D-does Callie know?"

"She was in here along with Mom and Dad when Dr. Bryce came to tell me." Frank ran a hand through his hair and added sadly. "It was like someone punched me in the gut and turned my whole world upside down."

"How did she take it?" Joe wondered.

"Devastated, like everyone else." Frank smiled as he continued speaking of Callie. "Callie's been amazing through all of this. I don't know what I'd do without her. She's been my rock; she kept pushing me to keep fighting and to not give up hope on finding you."

"Callie and I arrived at Chet's about an hour or so before you and Con showed up with Henry. We took a walk up to the oak tree. We talked about everything that was going on before moving on to the more personal stuff; talking about us and our feelings, about how much we love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together."

"We even shared a kiss and it was great!" Frank laughed. He blushed slightly as he realized he was expressing himself more than he usually would. He turned his head for a second, clearing his throat as he got himself back under control. "It was a good feeling. I actually felt happy."

Joe chuckled. It was good to see that side of his brother. His smile faded into a frown as he realized he'd just uncovered a heartbreaking truth he'd never known about his brother. It made him question just how he'd missed it. Was there other stuff about his brother he'd never known?

He started thinking about all the times he'd seen Frank laughing and joking around with family and friends. Had Frank been putting up a front to mask how he'd really been feeling? Was that moment Frank had shared with Callie the only time he'd ever been happy? Maybe Frank really was depressed.

He cleared his throat, "I'm glad you finally told Callie how you feel about her. I know that had to have been hard for you. And I'm glad she feels the same way about you." Joe made a mental note to have a talk with her and make sure she was being honest with Frank about the way she felt. If she wasn't and ended up hurting his brother...it wouldn't end well.

"I'm sure our constant bickering hasn't helped and just added to your stress. I promise I'll work things out with her; we'll be able to stop I'm sure. If Callie makes you happy then I'm happy for you. Your being happy is all I've ever wanted for you."

"I wouldn't mind having her as a sister someday." Joe leaned forward and winced as he adjusted the pillow under his leg. "I can deal with her headstrong, opinionated, bitchy attitu-" He slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide as he realized what he was saying. He braced himself for the tongue lashing he knew he was about to get.

To his surprise he didn't hear Frank say anything. He turned his head and saw Frank head down as he stared at the blanket, arms at his side, hands lying listlessly in his lap. There were tears in the corner of his eyes. He appeared to be lost in thought, the saddest look, Joe'd ever seen on his face.

"Frank, didn't you hear what I said?"

Frank slowly nodded.

Joe just looked at him, blinking. "Aren't you going to yell at me?"

When Frank didn't respond he shook his shoulder to get his attention. "Frank, say something! I just made a rude comment about your girlfriend; are you really going to just sit there and let me get away with it?"

"I can't do it." Frank finally spoke. He laced his fingers together and brought his hands up to his mouth resting his chin on his thumbs. A tear ran down his cheek as he choked out, "I can't do it to her."

That was not the response Joe was expecting. "Do what? Do what to her?" Joe asked calmly, making sure his voice didn't betray the panic he felt. What the hell was happening with his brother?!

Frank said worriedly. "What if I really am sick? How can I ask her to spend the rest of her life with me, if it's only to take care of me? I can't do that to Callie. She deserves a life better than that. What kind of future could I give her?" He glanced down at his hands, only to see them trembling. "What if my emotions get so out of control to the point where I end up hurting her?" He shook his head, his mind resting firmly on that thought.

"Frank, you won't. You'd never hurt Callie." Joe reassured him.

"I don't know that! You don't know that!" Frank snapped. He suddenly grabbed at his chest as he winced in pain.

"How do I know I'm not going to just snap for no reason like Hayden? He told me I was just like him...and look at what all he's done. He abused his wife and almost killed his own son." Teary eyed, he added. "I'd never be able to live with myself if I ever hurt anyone I love."

Joe quickly blinked back angry tears. "Hayden told you that." Joe stated more than asked. He wanted to kill the man for making Frank think this way.

"Yes."

"Please don't believe a word that comes out of that bastard's mouth." Joe kept his voice calm as he touched his brother's shoulder. "Frank, Hayden said that to mess with your head. Remember, he's a sociopath; that is what he does. He knows how to manipulate people and says things to mess with your head."

"I wish I could be as sure as you are." Frank replied as he leaned back against his pillow, running a hand over his tired face.

Joe noted his eyes were closed. "Frank?" He whispered, he was really starting to worry about him. He wanted to tell Frank about everything he'd been through, but at the same time he didn't want to stress him out anymore than he already was. Joe worried, what if him telling his brother ending up being too much for Frank? Damn he couldn't lose him.

What could he do? Joe started to think about the time he'd spent in that cabin with those crazy people. He'd had a feeling that Frank was in trouble and had both managed to fight Ryan as well as convince Cindy Hayden to help him escape. He'd managed all of that in his weakened state. He'd risked his life to escape and save his brother.

He needed his big brother, but Frank needed him too. They may be entering new chapters in their lives, but the one thing that would never change was them having each other's backs. Truthfully, they still had things to work out, but Joe wasn't worried; he knew they would. The first step to restoring things with Frank was to start rebuilding the trust and bond between them. They were a team, best friends and above all else, they were brothers; the best way for them to defeat their enemies was to fight them together. Hayden had hurt Frank and in Joe's book that was the ultimate sin. Joe vowed to make Hayden pay for it.

He began rubbing a hand over his chest feeling that familiar ache. He let out a big breath and began speaking from the heart. "Frank, I know you better than anyone else. You're Frank Hardy, my big brother and best friend, who I've always loved and admired. I've always loved you; that will never change. You've always had my back and I will always have yours."

"You know that whole conversation we had with Henry about superheroes a few weeks ago? Well, this will probably sound kind of stupid and childish but Spider-Man has always been one of my favorites. Having said that...well...he's no comparison to you."

"He's never once come to my rescue and chased the monsters away. He doesn't make me feel safe like you do. I think if you were a superhero I'd call you, Brainiac, because you can fix any problem using facts and logic with that brain of yours. And you're the only one who can kick my butt when it needs it; which is something Spider-Man could never do."

"You're also the best damn detective around...next to Dad and Sam of course. You're always willing to help someone if they need it, whether it's a stranger, friend, or your stupid kid brother." Joe's voice cracked. "I sure could use a detective right now or better yet-" Tears began to run down his face as his chin trembled. "-I need a big brother."

"We need to have one of our talks like we always do." Joe turned his head to see that Frank's eyes were still closed. "I'm ready to talk. I need to get this weight off my chest and tell you about what happened to me, but I'm scared. God I hate that feeling!" He stifled a sob and quickly composed himself. "So, can we pretend we're at home lying on my bed and not in a hospital room? You go into big brother mode and we can talk. Please."

"Okay, although we'll have to pretend we're in my room." Frank's eyes snapped open to take a quick look around the tidy hospital room. "Yours is a disaster."

"I've never really given much thought to superheroes although I have to say I'm highly impressed that I outrank Spider-Man." Frank suppressed a smile. "However, while I might consider wearing a cape, I draw the line at tights. Having said that, what's a superhero without his faithful sidekick? After all, we are the dynamic detective duo of Bayport."

"So, are you okay?" Joe asked, concerned.

"For now I am."

Frank rubbed his eyes and sat up propping his back against the pillow. He quickly gathered his thoughts and turned his attention to Joe. "Oh, and by the way, I did hear that rude comment you made about Callie. This once I'm going to let it slide. But," he warned his little brother. "If I ever hear you make a comment like that again, I'll skin you alive. Got it?"

Seeing the seriousness in Frank's eyes, Joe agreed and answered. "Got it." He smiled inwardly; now that sounded more like Frank.

(OOOO)

"Okay, talk to me"

"Are you sure you're okay? I don't want to stress you out." Joe said worriedly. He didn't understand what had happened; it was like someone had flipped a switch, pulling Frank out of his depressed thoughts.

"It'd make me feel better if I knew just what happened to you. Con found you in the backseat of Ryan Hayden's car bleeding to death. You almost died, Joe," Frank's voice trailed off but grew stronger once he finished speaking. "You wanted me to trust that you could handle my news." He rubbed his aching chest. "Well, I told you everything that's going on with me, and now you have to do the same."

"We need our lives back, but in order to do that we need to end this Hayden nightmare once and for all. You need to trust that I can handle your news."

Suddenly the face of the masked man entered Joe's head and then changed to Hayden. "Joe, trust me; I'm here and you're safe." Joe felt Frank's hand on his shoulder giving him the strength he needed. Frank was right, they needed their lives back and in order to get there, they needed Hayden out of their lives for good.

'Alright, I'll tell you." He let out a heavy sounding breath. "No, I mean I know it was a man who shot me though I never saw his face as he was wearing a black ski mask." Images became to flood his mind. "After our argument, I stormed off towards the stable. When I got there I heard Millie making a ruckus so I headed over to her to see what was bothering her. I got to her and saw Hayden in her stall, holding a bloody knife. He was standing over Duke's body."

His breathing began to speed up as he continued. "The blood...he'd killed Chet's dog. I was in shock but then suddenly thought of Henry. I had to warn him but before I could move I felt a sharp prick on the side of my neck." Joe brought his hand up to his neck, touching it lightly. "After that everything went dark."

"I woke up in the trunk of a moving car. I started panicking because I was trapped. I kicked the roof of the trunk a few times although nothing happened as a result. We went a few more miles before the car stopped moving and I heard the doors start opening. The masked man was the one to open the trunk."

"Cindy and crazy Nurse Matthews were there. The masked man ordered them to help him get me in the other car. He started arguing with Nurse Crazy as she hadn't sedated me. While they were arguing, I got up and jumped out of the car. It didn't take long for him to catch me before we started fighting. I know I hit him in the face but he still had the advantage because that's when he shot out my leg."

'Could it have been Ryan Hayden?" Frank asked, though he knew it couldn't have been Hayden's younger brother. The timing was all of. But he had to ask just to be sure.

"No. It wasn't him." Joe confirmed his brother's suspicion. "He was there at the cabin when I was trying to escape. He's the one that caught me."

Finally, Frank thought to himself. They were getting some answers. He forced his depressed thoughts aside in order to focus on Joe. He was more important. "You mentioned that before, being held in a cabin. Do you know where it was located?"

Joe sat still, thoughtful, for a minute before finally answering. "I think I heard them mention New Haven."

"New Haven, as in New Haven Connecticut?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Frank pressed on. "So, Ryan was there?" He questioned again.

"Yeah, he caught me trying to escape," Joe shook his head. He reached out and touched his leg, "I didn't think I was going to make it. But I knew I had to try; I had to get back to you."

He started to remember more of his ordeal. "Ryan was angry as hell; he was furious with all three of them, Cindy, the crazy nurse and the man in the mask. I guess me getting shot wasn't part of Hayden's plan. Ryan continued talking, going on to say he'd come back to take charge and see his brother's plan through. He said that I was the key to Jack's freedom although I have no clue what he meant by that."

"I think it he was probably referring to Hayden's trial." Frank answered piecing that part of Joe's puzzle together, "Dad and I think that they kidnapped you in order to keep us all distracted- that way his lawyer could work on getting him off on all charges."

"Well that makes sense."

"Okay, go on," Frank pushed.

"Okay..." Joe calmly took a breath and began again, "Nurse crazy had left to get medicine for my leg..."

"Wait, why do you keep calling her Nurse Crazy?"

"Because she is! I tell you...I thought she was going too..." Joe shivered inwardly as he thought of the seductive way she'd touched him.

"What?! What was she going to do to you?" Frank asked. He watched in horror as Joe quickly pulled the blanket up to his waist, a horrible thought entering Frank's mind. He knew Nurse Matthews, or rather; Karen Marshall had been a victim of sexual abuse. What if she'd tried to...no, please not that. "Did she or anyone else..."

Joe answered quickly as he saw where Frank's thoughts were heading. "No, no one did anything...like that. She touched me with her hand, that's as far as it went." Frank let out a huge sigh of relief, he felt like heart rate slow down. Thank God; that would've been the last thing they'd needed to have to deal with.

"She hates men...and thinks we all deserve to die, because all men use women for sex. She wanted to get rid of me so that I wouldn't go breaking a girl's heart. She told me when she got back she was going to take either my leg or my life. It was my choice."

It angered Frank to think Nurse Mathews had mistreated Joe that way. He knew girls were often drawn to his brother's good looks as well as his charm and flirtatious nature. He would get teased by his fellow teammates about him being a ladies man... and would take the opportunity to boldly ask him inappropriate questions about his sex life. Neither of them ever answered those types of questions; he and Joe were both very private about that part of their lives. Frank knew of only one intimate relationship Joe had had with a girl and it was a secret he'd vowed to keep between the two of them.

However he did know of a new girl Joe liked and had planned to ask her out. Hopefully once they got through their current nightmare and managed to put it all behind them, they could get their lives back. For Joe that meant enjoying his senior year and, hopefully, a new love.

"Well, I think I know why she hates men." Frank commented, going on to tell Joe about the murders of Mr. Burt Winston and Duncan Edwards and their connection to Karen Marshal better known as Nurse Mathews.

He also went on to tell Joe about his theory.

"Dad and I believe there are at least five people who are responsible in some way for everything that's happened in this case and that they are all connected to Hayden in one way or another." Frank started to count off his fingers. "The first thing that happened was Hayden abusing Henry. From there, there was the Bellevue fire and the death of Burt Winston and Duncan Edwards. Finally we have your abduction."

"So you and Biff found Winston, the owner of the hotel's body?" Joe repeated as he started to piece everything together.

"That's right." Frank ran a hand through his hair. "God, I thought that body was you. I've never felt so scared in my life. I thought I'd lost my little brother."

"So... Duncan Edwards." Joe steered his brother back to the original conversation. "You said he was related to Nurse Matthews' stepfather, Delbert and his nephew, Dallas Edwards."

"Yes. Nurse Matthews real name is Karen Marshall." Frank replied. "Her mother abandoned her and later died of a drug overdose. She was left to live with her step father and brother. It's possible they sexually abused her when she was just a teenager. We think that was her motive for killing them."

"Wait, now back up to Ryan Hayden, Wasn't he supposed to be under house arrest?" Joe asked, more pieces starting to come together in his mind.

"Yeah, however last night Ryan Hayden murdered two police officers."

"What?!"

"He shot them both in the head, before setting his house on fire with them in it."

Everything clicking into place in his mind, Joe exclaimed. "Oh my god! I remember what she told me!"

"Who?"

"Cindy...she told me something important..." Joe began thinking out loud, he was sure he was on the right track. It all made sense now. "It was the reason Ryan was angry as hell. He was going to kill her but I managed to stop him. I knocked him out and then convinced Cindy to help me escape and she came around to agreeing to help. We took off in Ryan's car."

"What did she tell you?"

"That the four of them; Cindy, Karen Marshall, Jack and Ryan Hayden all grew up together. When they were teenagers they sworn a pact to actually protect and help each other anytime they were in trouble. Basically, Cindy told me that Jack and Ryan Hayden murdered their parents that were abusing them and escaped the house, setting it on fire as they left."


	22. Chapter 22

Hi everyone, sorry for the long delay, hope everyone had a good Memorial Day holiday...mine was busy. Anyway I'd like to thank Drumboy 100, Frankenstein's Bride, casey landery, t4swp, Candylou, and Cherylann Rivers,racey losh, echo novas for leaving me wonderful reviews, and to those who are reading, favorites, or following thank you. And elven buddy for beta reading my story for me, you are awesome.

racey losh, to answer your questions sorry I'm not sure about your kindle and yes I've read house of cards, it's been awhile but yes I've read it.

casey landery, I know there's a lack of excitement for the Hardy boys and I realize that and will work on that, good things will turn around for the boys I promise, I'm trying to wine this story down and I'm going to give you a heads up, there's going to be three major deaths the first one is in this chapter, the second death I'm agonizing over, the third death I know has to happen because the next few chapters will set in motion for the sequel, A brother's revenge. Here's my new chapter hope you like.

Aftermath chapter 22

The two boys went and sat down at the bench. Henry calmly began to explain to Seth, "The reason I like Joe is because..." He started to speak, but stopped when people passed by them to continue on their way.

"Go on." Seth encouraged him once they were alone.

Henry began again, "It's hard for me to know who to trust anymore." He scratched his head and looked around to make sure they were alone. "I hate dyslexia. It's done nothing but cause me trouble; especially with Jack. He always makes me feel so stupid. I hate him for everything he's done to me. My uncle Ryan has more or less ignored me, ever since I was born. As for my mother, she always chooses Jack over me and it's something I hate her for."

""When Joe defended me against the other kids while at school...For the first time in my life, I'd felt like I'd found someone I could trust. So I told him about how Jack abused me at school and all the 'tutoring' sessions; Joe never once hesitated in helping me. Joe's the only real friend I've got. He stood up for me when no one else did."

"Didn't Frank get involved with helping you too?" Seth asked gently, knowing that it was a touchy subject with the teen.

"Yeah, he _was_ helping me. I thought he was someone I could trust but I was wrong. The minute Frank found out that his teacher, Mr. Hayden was actually my bastard father, everything changed." Henry clenched his fists as he seethed with anger. "It's all Frank's fault."

"How is that his fault?" Seth didn't think it was fair of Henry to blame Frank for what his father had done. Although, Seth had to admit, it was difficult for Seth to pass judgment on someone he'd never met.

"Going on what I was told, he's just as much a victim of your father's abuse as you and Joe are. All he was trying to do was help you." Seth recalled what Phil had told him in regards to the incident at school that had involved Hayden and landed Joe in hot water. "You know, I think, maybe it's easier for you to take your anger out on Frank because you can't take it out on the person you're really upset with, which is your father."

Henry pursed his lips together and turned his head away. Seth had a feeling he'd struck a nerve.

"Henry, do you have any siblings?"

Henry turned back around, looking at him strangely. "No."

"Maybe that's just it, why it's hard for you to understand. You're not used to having to share your time with someone."

Seth began to explain. ""You see, even though I haven't met Frank, I do have something in common with him. I am the eldest in my family; I have two younger brothers and my cousin, Phil has always been more of a brother to me than a cousin. I'm protective of them all. Considering everything that Joe's been through in the last few days, I don't really blame Frank for being protective and trying to shield Joe of anything more happening."

"It figures you would take his side too. It is Frank's fault," Henry grumbled, folding his arms to his chest. "He hates Jack. He hates me. He doesn't want me to be friends with Joe. He thinks I'm crazy just like Jack. He already has your cousin and his friends convinced that I am...and it's only a matter of time...before he turns Joe against me."

"He's going to take Joe away from me by filling his head with lies. I have to talk to Joe and make him understand. He has to know I'm sorry for everything Jack did to him. And that I'm not like him. I'm not crazy...I'm not! Joe understands me. I know he does. That's why I need his help."

Frank may not be too far from the truth, Seth realized, his thoughts catching up to what Henry had just uttered. "What do you need Joe's help to do?"

Henry unfolded his arms and leaned forward to pull a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket. He unfolded the paper. Seth looked over his shoulder. Though it was dark, he could tell, with the helping beam of light from a streetlamp, that it was a detailed drawing of a blond superhero who wore a blue suit. He'd heard about the creepy sketch Henry had made of Joe. But he'd thought that Phil had said it was a single drawing.

This must be a new drawing, he concluded, because this one was of a blond superhero firing off some kind of x-ray gun at a dark haired figure in a dark suit. The dark figure was leaning back as though he'd been hit by the blast, clutching at his chest, red ink, which Seth assumed was blood, seeping through his fingers. The older teen couldn't help but feel disturbed by this.

Henry ran a finger over the character's blonde hair. "He's going to help me defeat my enemy."

Sudden alarm bells started to go off in Seth's mind as his mouth dropped open. Oh my God! He began shifting uncomfortably on the bench. He had to tell someone before it was too late.

Henry shook the thoughts out of his head; glancing up at Seth he saw the look on the older teen's face and realized he'd revealed too much. Spotting the coffee shop that lay across the street from the hospital, a sinister plan came to mind. He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice.

He quickly turned back to Seth and smiled politely. "Hey, um, Seth, do you want to come with me to the coffee shop? We can get something to eat; it'll be my treat. It's the least I can do since you've been so nice to me."

Seth stumbled out of his shock. "Oh t-thank you, but...I can't...it's getting late." Sirens were screaming in his head, warning him not to go. "M-my cousin's probably looking f-for me. Maybe some other time, but right now. I've got to go." His legs shook as he got up and tried to get away from the bench but Henry quickly pulled him back down.

Henry leaned closer to Seth, staring at him, the icy stare nearly stopping the teen's heart. "Come with me now...or I'll go find your cousin and slash his throat."

Oh my God! Seth gulped nervously as warning signs again took control of his mind. _NO! Don't go!_ He glanced around, quickly trying to spot anyone who could possibly help him, but people just kept walking past them with no clue anything was wrong. He wanted to scream, "HELP ME!" to get some attention, but he feared for Phil's life. Seth had no choice, he had to give in to Henry's threat. He nodded sadly in surrender.

"Now let's both stand up and go for a walk. Don't draw any attention to us." The boys got to their feet, both heading towards the coffee shop...

(OOOO)

"I'm sorry...I didn't want to do this... you've been so nice to me, but I have no choice." Henry cried, not knowing what he was feeling; emotions too jumbled up to identify anything. "You know too much, I can't have you talking to anybody. I can't lose Joe...I won't." He had one hand clamped tightly over Seth's bloody nose and mouth, the fingers of his other hand gripped the teen's throat, crushing his airway.

Seth struggled to breathe, he clawed at Henry's hands, tried to buck him off his chest where Henry was straddling him, but he could feel his body weakening. Henry took his hand off Seth's throat, reaching for a brick positioned beside him. He raised it above his head, ready to strike.

This was it, he was about to die. His final moments were here. Tears ran down Seth's face as he began to pray to himself. "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep... If I shall d-die before I wake... I pray the Lord my soul to keep..." It was at that moment that Henry struck, striking the teen multiple times, until he could be sure he was dead.

Henry dropped the brick, dripping with blood, his breathing heavy and body shaking as he realized what he'd just done. "Now to defeat my enemy," his eyes darkened. "Frank Hardy."

He got to his feet as a hand clamped down on his shoulder, making him jump. "I saw what you did. A shame too, he seemed like a nice boy."

Henry whirled around to see a man dressed in dark clothing from head to toe, towering over him. The man wore a mask over his face, making it impossible for Henry to identify him. "W-who are you?"

"Just call me a _friend_. Come with me, I can help you."

"And if I refuse..."

"Then I'll call the police to report a murder..." The man took his cell phone out of his pocket. Henry's eyes widened his heart pounding as the stranger's thumb began pushing the needed buttons.

"Alright! I'll come with you!" Henry shouted before he got to the last number.

An evil grin spread across the man's face. He hung up the phone and stuck it in his pocket. "Okay, let's go."

(OOOO)

10:30 p.m.

Fenton and Laura were standing outside of a two way mirrored interrogation room with Chief Collig. The chief rubbed his tired eyes. "I'm sorry for pulling you two away from the boys, but you know it's important."

"Where is Hayden?" Fenton asked bluntly.

"He's in his cell, alone with no other inmates around him and is being heavily guarded. He has no idea his wife is here and I intend to keep it that way."

Good, Fenton thought. It was taking every bit of the strength he had to not go find the bastard and kill him with his bare hands.

Just then Carl Sims entered the room, briefcase in hand, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Chief Collig, Fenton, Laura," he greeted the trio. "I'm sorry for the interruption but I may have some good news for a change."

"Did you talk to the judge?" Fenton asked eagerly. He hoped so; they needed something to be in their favor for a change.

"I did." Carl replied with a heavy sigh. "Judge Troy Reinhold, to be exact. He's both fair and tough; he's a by-the-book kind of guy. He wasn't too happy that I woke him up." He set his briefcase on the floor.

"It didn't take long for me to explain that your boys were in the hospital and how important their testimonies were to the case. I told him that I needed time to prepare them for the trial and requested permission to record their testimonies. Long story short, he agreed to my request and is delaying the trial until Wednesday."

"With it being Sunday, that gives us a bit over 2 days." The chief grumbled.

"That's right." The lawyer nodded. "Hopefully by then Frank and Joe will be well enough to give me their testimonies. If Henry, by some miracle decides to testify against his father, it will be the icing on the cake. I'm hoping that Cindy Hayden will cooperate with us and help put Hayden in prison; is she doesn't it is likely the charges will be dropped and Hayden will go free."

I'll be damned if that man goes free, Fenton thought angrily. "We're not giving up yet." He softened his voice, directing it to his wife. "Laura, are you ready?" He had faith that his wife would convince Cindy to testify.

"Well to tell you the truth, I'd rather be at the hospital." Laura replied, hating the thought of having to leave her sons. "We just got Joe back and he's so sick with that fever...and Frank...he, I-I just..." She started to tear up.

Fenton laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Honey, I'm sure they're fine. I promise we'll get back to them as soon as we can." she began to calm down as he spoke. "Remember, what you're doing here is going to help the boys."

Laura looked up at her husband, sighing. "I don't know if I can be in the same room with that woman without strangling her." She hugged her arms around herself. "Why did she refer to Joe as her son? Is she plotting to take him away from us?"

"I don't know." Fenton wanted an answer to that question too. In fact, he knew with certainty that Cindy would have answers to any and all the questions they had. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. "That's one of the reasons we need you to talk to her. If you succeed in connecting and gaining her trust, it will open our lines of communication with her. She's one of Hayden's victims as well; she needs help."

Laura prayed she could convince Cindy to help them put that monster behind bars where he belonged. She was doing this for her boys as well as everyone Hayden had hurt. More importantly, she was doing this for every woman who'd been a victim of domestic abuse.

She watched as Officer Lynda escorted Cindy Hayden into the interrogation room. The woman had her head down, her hair covering her eyes and acting as a curtain for her face, her hands handcuffed in front of her. Again Laura started to feel sorry for Cindy and hoped she could give her the courage to fight back.

Chief Collig informed them. "We read her her rights and told her a lawyer will be appointed to her case."

Carl spoke to Laura. "Let her know that if she agrees to be a character witness, we could offer her a deal; a lighter sentence, by at least a few years. We can offer her protection, if she'll help us against Hayden."

"Are you ready Laura?" Fenton asked for the second time, wanting to be sure his wife was okay.

"I'm ready." She took a deep breath, and then looked at Fenton with a big smile on her face and determination in her eyes. She walked into the room; Officer Lynda was standing in a corner not far from the table where the two women would meet.

(OOOO)

"Cindy Hayden."

Cindy looked up from the table, startled at hearing her names, handcuffs clanging as she moved her hands to push a strand of hair out of her eyes, seeing a blonde haired woman standing in front of her.

"I'm Laura Hardy, _Joe's mother_." Laura emphasized her title to make sure Cindy understood that Joe was hers. "Do you remember me? I certainly remember you."

She sat down across from Cindy and noticed her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "We met in the waiting room, not more than two weeks ago, when your son, Henry, was brought in to the hospital. He'd been found by my sons, on the kitchen floor of your home. He was badly hurt almost beaten to death by his father. You came rushing into the hospital waiting room demanding to see your son..."

"What do you want?" Cindy nodded her head at the mirror and answered defensively.

"I'm here to help you; whether or not you take it is up to you."

"I'm not stupid; you're not here to help me." Cindy nodded towards the mirror and replied defensively. "They sent you in here to try to get me to testify against Jack." She turned back to Laura. "Well my answer is no."

"Would you rather have Henry testify?" Laura kept her voice as calm as she could. "Do you really want him to have to sit in a courtroom and talk about everything that was done to him?"

Cindy turned her head away, making it clear to Laura that she wouldn't get an answer.

This infuriated Laura even more as she continued on, "I can't understand how you can choose to protect your husband after he almost killed your son. Don't you love Henry? He's hurt and scared and is looking for someone to help him. He needs you."

"Of course I love my son." Cindy looked at Laura and fired back. "Henry doesn't want me. You heard him in that waiting room, hell everyone heard him. Henry hates me. I'm dead to him. He's got a new mother now. Maybe she'll do a better job at being his mother than I ever did."

She started to tear up, "I guess I'm not the perfect mother like you."

"I am not a perfect mother." Laura had a feeling that the woman's defenses were starting to break down. Maybe with just one more push, she could get Cindy to open up more. Laura had to remind herself that Cindy was just scared.

"I've made my share of parenting mistakes; being a mother isn't easy. There's no manual that will teach you how to raise your child, it's all done by trial and error. As long as you love them, the rest doesn't matter. The main thing I've taught my boys, is to love and respect each other as well as everyone they meet. I know my boys are growing up to be fine young men, but as their mother, one of my most important responsibilities is to teach them how to treat a woman with respect and that it's not okay to abuse them in any way, shape or form."

"I know that deep down you love Henry, so won't you please do the right thing and help him?" Laura pleaded. "Will you testify at the trial?"

"No." Cindy sniffed back a sob. She pursed her lips together. "Go to hell."

"We've been going through hell since the moment Jack Hayden entered our lives!" Laura banged her fist on the table. Leaning forward she gazed directly at Cindy Hayden. "Your husband is a child abuser; two of the children he's abused are mine, Frank and Joe Hardy." She'd felt sorry for the woman in the past, but at the moment Laura was too angry to be feeling sorry for anyone. Joe had almost died and this woman was partly responsible.

"You are currently looking at a very angry mother, who unlike some people actually gives a damn about her children." She blinked back tears of anger that threatened to fall. "Joe was found, in the backseat of a car _you_ happened to be driving, bleeding to death. He almost died! And I want to know why! Why do you refer to Joe as your son, when, you have no intention in helping your son? Why are you so interested in my youngest?"

Cindy said nothing and simply turned her head away, not acknowledging Laura at all.

"This is your last chance; I am here to help you. The police want to charge you with kidnapping, attempted murder as well as a whole list of other charges." Laura indicated the mirror. "My husband is standing outside this room along with Chief Collig as well as a very good lawyer named Carl Sims. They are also willing to help you. They told me to pass along the message that they are prepared to offer you a deal; you cooperate and answer their questions. In return you get a lighter sentence by at least a few years as well as protection from Hayden."

Again Cindy refused to answer.

"Fine I'm leaving." Laura got to her feet, doing her best not to break down, managing to keep her voice strong as she spoke. "Oh, and if you think you're going to take Joe from me, you can think again. It'll be a fight that you'll most definitely lose." With that Laura headed for the door, already kicking herself for letting her anger cloud her judgment. She felt as though she'd let everyone down, Fenton, her boys and all the victims of domestic violence. She started to cry.

Officer Lynda opened the door for Laura; she too had a tear in her eye. She'd been watching the scene play out between the two women and had been moved by Laura's brave attempt to help Cindy, as well as frustrated with Cindy for not taking Laura's offer of help. She lay a hand on Laura's shoulder in an unspoken offer of comfort. Laura glanced up at the female officer, smiled and patted her hand in thanks for her wordless support.

"For a moment I thought Laura was getting through to her." The chief murmured, feeling sorry for Laura knowing she'd done her best.

"I know." Fenton frowned, thinking the same thing. Feeling bad for his wife, He knew they'd put a lot on her shoulders, it was his fault for pushing her into this. She's already dealing with a lot, with the situation with the boys, and the truth about the death of his father. He paused for a moment to think of what to do next, and then an idea came to him...it had to work.

"This doesn't look good for us." Carl added gravely.

"We're not giving up just yet, I have an idea."

The Chief of police and Carl Sims both gazed questioningly at the detective, understanding dawning on them as he outlined his idea.

"Are you sure it's going to work?" Chief Collig asked.

"It has to; it's the only chance we got." Carl Sims replied, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and using it to quickly mop his sweaty forehead.

"Well, let's pray it does. If she agrees to it, I'll make some phone calls and get things rolling tonight." Fenton firmly stated. "I..." He cut himself off as someone suddenly interrupted him.

"Joe saved my life."

Everyone turned their attention back to Cindy, including Laura who was still standing in the interrogation room's doorway. She could see that there were tears rolling steadily down Cindy's face. Laura quickly wiped away her own tears of anger, hope renewing in her heart. Maybe she had gotten through to her after all?

Walking back to the table, Laura sat down and asked. "Joe, saved your life, how?"

"No, forget it, I can't tell you," Cindy began to once again retreat back into herself. "They'll kill me." Her voice took on a fearful tone as she started to rub her hands together, handcuffs clanging as she did so.

Everyone could see the woman was shaking with fear. Placing a hand on top of Cindy's Laura managed to keep her voice calm and quiet, this time around. "I promise you are safe. No ones going to hurt you. Please tell me what happened to my son?"

"I-I can't. You don't understand what they're like! What they're capable of doing," Cindy trembled, she wasn't sure she could do this. She knew she was treading on thin ice if she opened her mouth and revealed the truth. "If I talk, they will kill me."

Fenton glanced at Carl before turning to look at Chief Collig. "I think that's our cue."

The three men entered the room, Fenton seating himself beside his wife, spoke to Cindy. "Mrs. Hayden, the three of us, that is attorney Carl Sims, Chief Collig and myself, are prepared to help you. How about instead of a prison sentence we offer you something else?" Carl and the chief nodded their agreement.

"Like what?' Cindy looked at Fenton like he was crazy.

Fenton answered, praying his idea would work. "We can set you up with a new life, a new identity, a place to live..."

Cindy shook her head, "I have tried that," She stifled a sob. "Several times, but it never works. Jack always find me. I told you; you don't know what he's capable of."

"Detective Hardy is talking about getting you into the witness protection program." Chief Collig expanded on Fenton's idea, hoping it would work.

"I would be happy to represent you Mrs. Hayden. I think the program would be more beneficial to you than a jail sentence." Carl set his briefcase down on the table." Carl replied setting his briefcase on the table.

Fenton nodded. "We'll make it so that Hayden and anyone associated with him will never find you."

"I-I don't know...What about Henry? I couldn't leave him."

"We can try to get you both into the program." Fenton wasn't so sure about Henry, however, he told himself to take things one step at a time. They were so close to getting Hayden put away for good; all Cindy had to do was agree with their plan.

He sent out a final plea. "Please, just trust us. Answer our questions about Hayden, the fire at the Bellevue hospital, the two men that died and Joe's abduction. What happened to my son? We need to know who shot him so we can put the person away for good."

"At least tell us how Joe saved your life?"

Cindy hesitated as she took a moment to think. It'd been a long time since she could trust anyone and feel safe. She needed help but she also felt like she was betraying the people she'd promised to protect. But then her mind brought forth the memory of something Joe Hardy had said, something about getting the raw end of the deal. As she pondered it some more she realized that Joe Hardy was right.

Who was protecting her? Carolyn, Jack, Ryan, she loved them all, called them all 'family' and yet they'd never really loved her back; they'd abused her her whole life. She owed it to Henry to get the help he needed. She glanced at Carl, Chief Collig and Laura Hardy, studying them each in turn before turning back to Fenton. The people currently standing here in this room actually cared about her and she could see they really wanted to help her. After all, she'd promised Joe Hardy that she'd help him; she owed it to him after he'd saved her life.

Cindy let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything. I originally had the idea of trying to take Joe away from you all, because I was so angry with you Detective Hardy, for taking Henry away from me." She bit her lip as her feelings of guilt increased. She added, "After he got hurt saving my life I realized I couldn't do it. I was trying to save him."

She managed to continue, her voice very unsteady. "Jack's younger brother, Ryan..." she went on to describe the incident she'd witnessed at the cabin between Joe and Ryan. "He's got an awful temper, just like Jack. Oh...he was going to kill me, I just knew it. I could see he had that look in his eyes; I've come to know it so well."

She took a deep breath and stuttered out. "And Joe...I-I don't know how your son did it, Detective Hardy, as sick as he was. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Joe. Ryan had me pinned against the wall in the cabin we were staying at. He had his fist out, ready to strike me but Joe lunged in front of me, stopping Ryan in his tracks. He lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the corner of the table and was out cold. I was so scared."

"Joe had convinced me to help him escape so that we could help Henry and so that he could find his brother. He feared Frank was either sick or in danger. So we did. We took off in Ryan's car to get help. I headed for Bayport."

Fenton raised an eyebrow at hearing about Ryan's involvement in the case. His anger flared up, thinking about how his son had been abused by his principal. As soon as Jack Hayden was taken care of and put behind bars where he belonged, Ryan Hayden would be next, but he said nothing and listened to Cindy's explanation in brooding silence.

"As I was driving, Joe was in the backseat moaning in pain. I knew he was getting worse so I thought if I managed to get him to a hospital, passing him off as my son in order to hide who we really were, Ryan wouldn't find us."

Fenton and Laura gazed at each other in silence; they'd been wrong about Cindy. She hadn't been plotting to take Joe away from them, she'd been trying to save him. Thinking about Joe Laura began to tear up; she was incredibly proud of her son for saving Cindy's life but at the same time the thought of what her baby had gone through broke her heart. Fenton was just as proud of Joe for what he'd done, although like Laura he was heartbroken at the thought of how Joe had had to literally fight for his life.

"We were trying to get away from Ryan; because he found out I told Joe something I shouldn't have."

"What was that?" Chief Collig asked breaking into Fenton's thoughts.

Cindy paused again knowing she had no choice but to trust them. "I've been with Jack since I was sixteen. He always took care of me." She blinked a tear from her eyes. "In fact the four of us, Carolyn, Jack, Ryan and I all grew up together. When we were teenagers we formed a pact to always protect each other when in trouble. Jack and Ryan shot our parents and set our homes on fire in order to save us all from abuse. Although I think they enjoyed it too much."

Oh god! Everyone just gazed at her in stunned disbelief. Laura felt like she was going to be sick while Fenton couldn't believe what he was hearing, as his mind was still processing everything he'd heard. It was just like the murders of Officers Mark Jenko and Carla Miller. They'd been killed by Ryan Hayden. He began to wonder if this was the start of something.

There was one question that was still on his mind that Fenton had to choice but he ask. He cleared his throat. "Mrs. Hayden, did Ryan shoot Joe?"

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

"Yes, it was Daniel Bartend."


	23. Chapter 23

Hello everyone thank you to those who left me wonderful reviews with my last chapter, and thank you to those who are following, favorites, or just reading.

Here's my new chapter hope you like, let me know what you think?

Aftermath chapter 23

"Did you say Daniel Bartend?" Fenton asked, just to be sure that he'd heard her correctly.

"I did." Cindy replied handcuffs clanging as she moved her hands to push a strand of hair out of her eyes. She felt all eyes on her as she confirmed once more. "Daniel is Jack's lawyer; he shot your son, Detective Hardy."

Fenton sighed wearily and sat back in his seat. "Well that explains why he wanted me off this case." His hunch about Bartend being the fifth person involved in helping Hayden had been right. Rage began coursing through his body; he wanted to get his hands on Bartend. Joe had almost died because of that so-called lawyer!

Laura could sense her husband's anger, she laid a firm hand on his arm in order to keep him calm, as she tried to do the same for herself. As it was, Fenton took Laura's gesture as the sign it was and began to calm himself down; now was not the time to lose his temper- he had to keep a level head.

"I can't believe this." Carl shook his head as he shifted uneasily in his seat, he was uncomfortable with the whole situation. They were talking about the man he was supposed to go up against during the trial after all. The information they were getting could change everything, and not for the better.

"So that little arrogant ass really is involved in this mess." Chief Collig growled low in his throat. He couldn't wait to lock Bartend up in a cell right next to Hayden. He was trying hard to keep his anger in check; it was important to keep things calm and done in as professional a manner as he could manage for everyone's sakes.

Turning on a tape recorder, he asked calmly. "Mrs. Hayden, would you please explain to us how it happened from the beginning?"

Cindy hesitated for a moment as her fear began to take over; she knew what she was about to tell them would get her killed if any of the others found out about it. Laura could see Cindy was getting nervous so she reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze, giving her a bit of courage to continue. Cindy gave Laura a grateful smile as she felt her fear melt away. She pushed on knowing it was the right thing to do. She had to do this if she wanted to be free of the mess she'd gotten herself into.

She nodded and taking a deep breath began again. "Jack's plan was to go out to that farm and kidnap Henry and kill Joe out of revenge." Laura gasped as she heard Cindy's explanation. "However, Joe wasn't supposed to get shot; it wasn't part of Jack's plan."

"What do you mean by that?" Fenton asked, leaning forward as he worked hard to keep his temper at bay.

"If I know Jack as well as I think I do, he'll be furious. Especially if he finds out that Daniel was the one who ruined his plan. When Jack gives you an order and you don't follow through, or you mess something up, you can bet you'll face his wrath." Cindy shivered inwardly, thinking of her husband's temper. "He was so agitated to begin with because he didn't have his brother with him. They have a close relationship; they've been inseparable since childhood. Their father was a horrible, horrible man who'd beat them with a belt or lock them in a closet almost every day."

"Anyway, Jack was left with no other choice but to depend on the three of us to help him. We helped Jack escape from that mental hospital in Bellevue."

"Who are the three of you?" Chief Collig repeated.

Cindy nodded. "That would be Carolyn, Daniel and I."

Fenton held up his hand to pause the conversation, "Hold on, I need you to clarify something for us." He asked. "Nurse Carolyn Matthews and Karen Marshall is the same person, correct?"

"That's right; her real name is Karen Marshall." Cindy answered. "Carolyn was her mother's name; she abandoned her and later died of a drug overdose. Carolyn was left to live with her step father and brother."

"Those two were a couple of lowlifes. They'd rape her whenever they were drunk or high, which was all the time. She was only seventeen at the time." A tear ran down her cheek as her voice trembled. "As a result of what they did to her, she hates men. She uses the name 'Carolyn' as a reminder of her mission to rid the world of all men who prey on women for sex."

"Except for Ryan; Carolyn told me she'd felt a sense of freedom after Ryan killed her 'family'. She was so grateful to him and vowed to stick by Ryan and help protect him." Cindy cleared her throat and kept her voice strong; she looked down at the handcuffs around her wrists. "I know it's wrong for me to say it, but in a way I felt the same way Carolyn did, after Jack killed my parents."

Cindy glanced up at Carl and the police chief before turning back to Laura and Fenton. "My father started molesting me when I was eleven years old. My mother always knew what he was doing to me and did nothing to stop him …" Her voice trailed off. Officer Lynda brought over a glass of water for Cindy. "Thank you." Cindy took a few moments to take a few sips of water, using the time to compose herself before she continued.

"This went on until I was sixteen when I met Jack in high school. From the moment we met he swept me off my feet; he was so sweet, kind and handsome. He was a bit controlling and definitely had a temper, but it wasn't to the extreme you see today. The physical abuse didn't start until a few years after Henry was born."

"At the time Ryan and Carolyn were dating. Carolyn and I were best friends; in fact we all became instant friends because we all had such shitty lives and promised to protect each other when in trouble. What a thing to have in common right? To this day, I can still remember standing outside with Jack as I watched my home burn to the ground... I felt so free for the first time in my life, because my father could no longer hurt me."

Laura sniffed back tears as she took in the horrid details of Cindy's story. As hard as it was to hear, Fenton gently steered the conversation back to the main topic. "Can you tell us about the deaths of Burt Winston and Duncan Edwards?"

Her voice filled with emotion, Cindy still managed to answer. "Carolyn killed them too, for the same reason. Duncan Edwards was her stepfather's brother. A year ago he was admitted to Southport Hospital where she worked as nurse. She found out that he was a patient and going through his medical records, she found out that he was a diabetic. She gave him a lethal dose of insulin which killed him, not long after that." Fenton nodded to himself; Cindy had just confirmed what Sam had told him about Karen Marshall.

"Burt Winston was the manager of the Bellevue motel where we were staying the night before we set the fire at the hospital." Cindy broke into Fenton's thoughts.

"That disgusting man started hitting on us the moment we walked into the place." She went on to describe how Carolyn had tricked him into taking her out for a drive so that they could be alone. "Without hesitation the motel manager took her out, he parked near a wooded area where he tried to force himself on her.'

Cindy paused to take a breath. "But she never gave him the chance to do anything. She stabbed him with a syringe filled with a high dose of insulin, killing him, and then dragged his body into the woods where she covered him with a white sheet she'd found in his trunk before she left. Carolyn told me she didn't have a choice but to kill Mr. Winston; the world was better off without him."

Laura felt sick to her stomach after hearing this and felt disgusted hearing how some men treated women. Fenton, for his part, noted that Cindy had just confirmed what his elder son had told him concerning his investigation in Bellevue.

"Let's go back to the mental hospital you mentioned." Chief Collig put in. He took a calming breath and focused on the case at hand. "So the three of you, meaning, Karen Marshall, Daniel Bartend and yourself started the fire at the hospital in Bellevue in order to help Hayden escape?"

"We did. Actually it was Ryan who called and ordered Carolyn and I to help Jack, while we were at the motel. Ryan obviously couldn't; he was on house arrest at the time. Carolyn was the one who actually started the fire in the storage closet.

"And what was Bartend's role in the plan?"

"He was to drive the getaway car, once we got out of the hospital. Carolyn had managed to steal the maintenance man's ID badge and keys, including the ones for his black sedan. Everything was so chaotic with the hospital staff scrambling to get all the patients out of the building; Carolyn and I had no issues dressing up as staff and getting Jack out. We had no problems sneaking around".

"After that we made our way back to Bayport to get Henry. We were parked about a block away from the hospital, when we saw two police officers exit the main entrance accompanied by Joe and Henry along with another boy. We watched as they climbed into an SUV."

"Jack ordered Daniel to follow their SUV out to the farm... from what we gathered; the party going on was for Henry. I was shocked to see that he'd dyed his hair blonde." Cindy's cuffs jangled as she reached up to touch a strand of her own hair. She smiled. "I suppose he did learn a few things from me."

"We watched as everyone, except your sons, headed down to the barn Detective Hardy." She frowned and continued on. "They were arguing; Jack saw everyone leaving as the perfect distraction since nobody was paying any attention. So he broke into the house and lured the poor dog out to the stable with a piece of meat. Once there, he killed it."

""Jack ordered us to wait outside for him. He hadn't expected Joe to make his way to the stable though. So Jack made a quick decision and kidnapped Joe instead, figuring that that would keep you all distracted in order to both give Daniel more time to work on getting Jack off on all charges and to use as leverage in order to keep Henry from testifying in court."

"Carolyn got up up behind Joe and injected him in the neck, with a sedative. He was out immediately, falling to the ground like a pile of rocks. Daniel, Carolyn and I managed to pick him up and carry him to the trunk of the black sedan that we'd stolen. Daniel drove about two miles before stopping so we could move Joe to another vehicle."

We were in a panic that Joe was awake. When we found that, sure enough, he was awake, Daniel got so angry and started yelling at Carolyn for not sedating him enough. While he was yelling, Joe grabbed hold of the opportunity and jumped out of the car. Unfortunately, Daniel caught him and they started fighting."

Cindy shook her head as she described the ordeal. Looking over at the Hardys she continued. "Your son put up a good fight; he nearly broke Daniel's nose. I thought for sure Joe was going to get away, but out of nowhere Daniel pulled a gun out and shot him in the leg to get him to stop. Joe fell to the ground, screaming in pain. After Carolyn bound his leg in order to try and stop the bleeding, Daniel quickly got Joe back into the trunk of the car and driving off before anyone could hear his screams."

"Do you know what Bartend did with the gun?" Chief Collig asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't."

"Do you know the whereabouts of Karen Marshall or Ryan Hayden?"

"Again I'm sorry I don't." Cindy swallowed nervously. "For all I know they're on their way here looking for me and Joe."

"I don't think so." Fenton disagreed. From the corner of his eye he could see Laura turning to him, her eyes wide with concern. "Ryan killed two police officers, I don't think he'd be dumb enough to come back to Bayport, because he knows the minute he sticks his head out he'll be arrested. No, my guess is he's probably hiding under a rock somewhere." Laura relaxed, relieved to hear that. Fenton rubbed his tired eyes as he began to think aloud. "As for Karen Marshall I'm not so sure."

"Well we're not taking any chances. The hospital is heavily guarded with extra security. I've sent Officer Baker to relive Officer Riley." The Chief replied with confidence. "We'll get them both."

Laura wiped the tears off her face, sick at heart after hearing the horrid details of what her baby had been through. Keeping his voice strong Fenton asked, "Where did you take Joe after that?"

"We went to Daniel's cabin in New Haven, Connecticut." Cindy answered. "That's where we were when Carolyn took the bullet out and Joe's leg got infected." Then she finished with, "and I already told you about Ryan showing up at the cabin, and the fight he had with Joe."

Cindy's eyes shifted to Fenton and Laura, "Like I said before, I-I don't know how Joe did it as sick as he was. He had such an amazing spirit and a strong will to fight to stay alive. I so wish Henry had that same spirit and strong will; maybe when this is all over they could spend some time together. Joe's such a good influence for Henry, I'm sure Henry would like that." She sniffed back a sob. "But I'll always be grateful for him for saving my life. I truly believe I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him."

Fenton and Laura fell silent after hearing Cindy's suggestion of getting their boys to spend time together; they weren't sure they liked the idea of that happening.

"Mrs. Hayden would you be willing to testify in court as to everything you've told us here today?" Carl asked, hoping she would agree.

Finally after a long pause, Cindy replied, "Yes." Then she took a deep breath, she felt better getting the huge burden off her shoulders.

"I'd like to thank you for cooperating with us, Mrs. Hayden. We understand it was a hard thing for you to do, given the circumstances." Chief Collig acknowledged Cindy's bravery. "You've done the right thing."

"Did you really mean what you said about helping me disappear?" Cindy asked Fenton as she rubbed her hands together. "That you'd set me up with a new life, and everything."

Laura touched Fenton's arm and glancing at him, put forth the suggestion. "Maybe you could arrange counseling for her as well?"

Fenton took his wife's hand in his and nodded, "I can do that. In fact I'm going to get things started right now. You have my word Mrs. Hayden. And I too want to thank you for your cooperation," Fenton added his thanks. "Thank you for saving my son's life."

"Will you excuse us a second?" He glanced over at Chief and Carl. "We need to talk". With that, he stood up, the other two men following him out of the room.

"You did well. Everything's going to be fine." Laura said reassuring the woman. "Thank you for what you did for Joe. I'll always be grateful for you for saving his life." She stood up and lay a hand gently on top of Cindy's, giving it a light squeeze.

"Thank you." Cindy wiped the tears off her face and watched Laura leave the room. As soon as the door closed before the Hardy matriarch, a smile spread across her face as tears of relief started to fall from her eyes. "I'm finally, going to be free from Jack." With that Officer Lynda approached the table to escort Cindy back to her cell.

(OOOO)

Laura closed the door behind her. She sighed quietly, blinking back tears. "That was..." Her voice trailed off. She was starting to feel the pressure of everything going on.

"Intense." Fenton finished his wife's sentence. Laura nodded. Fenton put a comforting arm around her as he'd seen how upset she'd been after hearing Cindy's explanation. "Laura, you did really well; you got Cindy Hayden to open up to us. Now finally, we can work to get this nightmare past us and get our lives back."

"Carl now that we know Bartend is involved," Collig spoke up. "Of course I know we'll need evidence to back up Cindy's statement, preferably the gun as well as a statement from Joe, but what could this mean for Hayden's trial?"

Carl snorted back a laugh. "I don't know; it's really hard to say. Bartend's involvement could change everything and not for the better." Carl rubbed a hand over his chin, the whole thing with Bartend had thrown everyone for a loop.

"Judge Reinhold might very well throw out the charges and ask to review the case, and appoint Hayden some new counsel. And that's after a thorough investigation, that is, if or when Bartend is arrested. Though we have Mrs. Hayden who witnessed the crime taking place, we still need proof. As it is the case is incomplete so the judge might declare a mistrial. Hayden has a chance of going free after all this."

"Damn," Fenton cursed under his breath.

"What about Ryan and Jack Hayden murdering their parents? It's almost like what happened with those police officers." Laura brought up a good point. "That has to count for something right?"

"It's not quite the same." Chief Collig replied. "According to Mrs. Hayden's statement, Hayden and his brother were teenagers when they committed these murders. We're talking about something that happened sixteen or seventeen years ago; it's going to take some time to look into and we only have two days until the trial."

Suddenly the sound of Fenton's cell phone ringing brought them to attention.

Fenton immediately picked up the phone and answered, "Detective Hardy speaking."

"Fenton, it's Con..." Fenton's heartbeat began to quicken. By the expression on her husband's face, Laura knew something was wrong, and fear flooded through her.

"Okay, we're on our way."

"Fenton, is it the boys?" She asked the minute Fenton hung up his phone. She was doing her best not to panic; she knew she shouldn't have left them.

"Yes, Joe's fever broke which is a good thing." He replied, giving her the rundown of what Con had told him in regards to what was happening with their boys. "However, he knows about what's going on with Frank and is pretty upset."

"Oh no."

"Apparently, Frank started having chest pains again right in front of Joe and Con. Joe kept asking him what was wrong, because according to Con, Joe said he could sense something was wrong with Frank."

"Frank, being Frank, tried to downplay it, but Joe wasn't having any of it. His temper flared up and they started arguing. Joe asked Con to get Dr. Bryce so he could get the truth of the matter as Frank wasn't telling him anything."

"Frank finally gave in and decided to give Joe the truth, after Con had left to get the doctor. They were in the middle of a deep discussion but went quiet the moment Con walked back in followed by the doctor. Joe began peppering Dr. Bryce with questions about Frank's physical and mental health. When Con left the room to call me, Dr. Bryce was answering all of Joe's questions."

A teary-eyed Laura put a mouth to her mouth so overcome with emotion she couldn't speak. She figured Joe must've been going out of his mind, worrying about his brother. She shouldn't have left her boys.

"You two go be with your boys." Chief Collig said to the worried parents. "We'll discuss what to do about Bartend tomorrow. In the meantime I'll look into the deaths of all the parents Cindy claimed the Hayden brothers had murdered; I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thank you." Fenton nodded. "Once I know the boys are okay, I'd like to do a little investigating myself. I'm going to start with Daniel Bartend's cabin in New Haven, Connecticut." He never gave up on a case until the job was done and by god he was going to finish this case once and for all. Every criminal involved would pay; he'd make sure of that. With that final thought, he took Laura's hand in his as they left the police station for the hospital, their boys heavy on both their minds.

(OOOO)

Sam Radley slowly reached up to feel the side of his head, feeling a bump there. Wincing in pain at the contact he quickly drew his hand away. Clenching his eyes shut for a few seconds, he opened his eyes slowly to allow them the chance to adjust to the darkness. As his vision finally cleared he saw it was night time and that he was lying on the cold, hard ground behind a coffee shop.

"How did I get here?"

 _He rubbed his aching head as he began to remember what had happened. He'd met Dr. Reese by the hospital's entrance. She'd been a little shaken up as she told Sam how Henry had yelled at her, told her to stop following him before pushing her to the ground and running off. She'd assured Sam that she was fine, just a little bruised from the fall and shaken by Henry's actions._

 _Sam had escorted the doctor back inside to one of the emergency room personnel just to be on the safe side. Then he'd gone back outside to find Henry and saw him about halfway down the block arguing with another boy he'd recognized as the cousin of one of Frank and Joe's friends...Thankfully it was a moonless night, he used the darkness as cover to hide behind parked cars along the street, following the two boys to the back alley of the coffee shop. There he saw Henry beating up the older teen. Before Sam could step in and stop Henry, someone came up behind him, hitting him on the back of the head causing everything to go dark..._

He snapped out of his flashback as his eyes automatically began to scan the alley, stopping when they landed on something a few feet away. Sam ignored the pain in his head and slowly got to his knees, crawling over to whatever it was he'd seen. He recoiled; it was the dead body of a teenage boy. Scanning the immediate area around the body, he noticed a bloody brick lying not too far away.

Sam looked closely at the boy's bloody face., his stomach churning at the unpleasant sight. He gingerly reached into the boy's pant pocket and pulled out his wallet. Flipping it open he read the ID. "Seth Cohen. Shit!" He cursed. This was the boy he'd seen Henry beating up. He had to find Henry and fast.


	24. Chapter 24

HI I'd like to thank Kaya Maye, Kae Lynne, t4swp, Drumboy100, Candylou, Caranath for leaving me wonderful reviews, and thank you to those who are reading, following and favorites, and a special thank you to Caranath for beta reading and helping me with my story, you are awesome. Here's my new chapter hope you like it.

Aftermath chapter 24

Callie glanced at the time on her phone; it was 10:30 p.m. It was well after visiting hours at the hospital. Tony, Biff and Chet were in the process of helping Phil look for his cousin as it was getting late and they knew their parents would be getting worried. They were supposed to be getting ready for school in a couple of hours, but right now they didn't care. Finding Seth was more important. Callie had agreed to stay in the waiting room just in case Seth happened to show up.

"I wish Frank and Joe were out searching for Seth." Callie sighed wearily. She knew in a heartbeat they'd be out there looking for him, especially if they knew he was Phil's cousin. They wouldn't stop until he was found, but instead they were here in the hospital recovering from the hell Hayden put them through. "It's not fair."

Joe was recovering from a bullet wound and Frank...oh, Frank, she was so worried about him.

Callie set her phone down on the table and picked up a magazine. She gasped when she saw the photo on the front cover of a young woman wearing a gorgeous white wedding dress with lace and satin and a beautiful headpiece on her blonde head. She began to picture herself wearing the dress and thought of her future with Frank.

She threw the magazine on the table and leaned back in her seat. Did they even have a future? She blinked back tears from bloodshot eyes.

What if he was sick? Would she be strong enough to be able to handle it, be whatever Frank needed her to be? Yes, she simply thought, yes she would be there for him no matter what, because she loved him. And she was going to do whatever it took to protect him. The first thing Callie was going to do was to talk to Laura about restricting Henry from the boys visiting list.

She suddenly began to get sleepy. She closed her eyes to let them rest for a moment and soon she drifted off to sleep.

"Callie?" A voice whispered in the darkness.

Callie nearly jumped out of her skin when she opened her eyes to see Laura standing over her, concern written all over her face.

"I'm sorry, Honey, I didn't mean to scare you." Laura apologized to the young girl. She sat down next to her. "What are you doing here? It's late,you should be home. You're mother must be worried sick about you."

"I called her and filled her in." Callie sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Its 11: 30. What are you doing here?"

"I can't stop thinking about Frank. I'm so worried about him."

"I'm worried too. Actually, I'm worried about both of my boys." Laura replied as she wiped her tired eyes; her body was begging for sleep.

Callie quickly noticed Laura's eyes were filled with stress, red and puffy from crying. "Is something wrong?" She asked alarmed, "Has, something's happened to the boys?!" Then she gasped, "Oh no, Frank..." She started to get up.

"Oh no Callie, Frank's fine." Laura said calmly. She put a hand on the girl's arm and gently guided her back down in the chair.

"Then, what?" Callie asked.

Laura quickly filled Callie in on the phone call Fenton had received from Officer Riley. Joe's fever had broken which was good news; however he hasbecome visibly upset upon learning about his brother's own health issues.

"So Joe knows?"

"He does now."

"I can't imagine what he's thinking or maybe I can."

"I know." Laura let out a soft sigh. "But, Dr. Bryce did explain about Frank's heart condition and depression. He's going to run some tests on Frank in the morning, to make sure his heart is okay. That seemed to calm Joe for a moment, but I can tell he still worried."

"What about Frank? Didn't you say he was doing fine?" Callie asked, thinking of her boyfriend.

"Yes, for the moment he is." Laura nodded. "He's putting up a brave front like he usually does, I think it's more for Joe's benefit, but I know Frank is nervous about tomorrow. Dr. Bryce gave them both something to help them relax and have a good night's sleep."

"Gertrude is coming by to drop off some clothes for the boys, and then I'm going to go back home with her and try to get some sleep Laura continued. Fenton left a little bit a go to take care of something, but he'll be back here before Frank goes in for tests."

"I want to be here too." Callie replied, "Mom won't mind if I miss school tomorrow. I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway, because I'd be thinking about Frank the whole time."

'Well then, you still need your sleep." Laura patted Callie on the knee. "We can take you home. You want to be well rested for Frank, don't you?"

"I will," Callie said yawing. "But first there's something I need to talk to you about." Laura raised a brow as Callie quickly filled her in on Seth Cohen going missing and Henry's obsession with Joe, a long with the creepy superhero drawing Henry did of Joe. She then went on and told Laura about the strain Henry was putting Chet and his parents, taking advantage of Mrs. Morton while treating Chet and his father like crap.

"We believe Henry has a dangerous obsession with Joe and hates Frank. He believes Joe is the only friend he's got and that Frank is trying to take Joe away from him. He has it in his head that Frank is turning everyone, Biff, Tony, Chet, Phil and me, against him. He's afraid that he'll have Joe turned against him too."

"That's one of the reasons I'm here, to talk to you about keeping Henry away from the boys," Callie added worriedly, "We're afraid Henry might try to hurt Frank." She rubbed her hands nervously together. "The fact that Seth is missing has us concerned because he went after Henry right after the fight he had with his mother in the waiting room."

"Why would Seth do that?"

"He's been looking forward to meeting your boys, because he's heard some amazing stories about them through Phil and the other guys. He was there with us at the Morton's when Joe went missing and he saw how upset Frank was during the whole thing. He was in the waiting room with us yesterday, when I told everyone about Frank's heart condition and depression. Seth wanted to help your boys so he had the idea to try talk to Henry about his dyslexia because he has it too, and also to try to keep him away from Joe so that it wouldn't stress Frank out. I'm so convinced Henry did something bad to Seth."

Laura sat back taking in all Callie told her. She knew her boys were still dealing with the aftermath of Hayden's abuse and there was tension between them especially, every time Henry's name came up. She had no idea things with Henry had gotten this bad.

It angered her to find out that Henry had been mistreating the Morton family. She prayed to God that that boy never mentions anything to Joe about Iola's death; it would open up a lot of painful wounds for her son, and Joe certainly didn't need any more stress. She was also deeply concern about Henry's growing hatred towards Frank. She was going to put a stop to that.

Laura sighed heavily. She reached over and patted Callie's knee. "Thank you for telling me this. Don't worry, I'll talk to Fenton about this, and we will definitely be restricting Henry from Frank and Joe's visitors list, for their safety."

(OOOO)

Monday morning, 7:55

"Frank, are you nervous?"

"Joe, for the umpteenth time quit asking me that."

"Well, it's just," Joe started to sit up in his bed, all the movement causing the pain in his leg to flare up again. "Ow!"

"Joe, take it easy." Fenton instructed as he and Laura gently pulled Joe back to rest against the pillows.

"Honey, don't get yourself all worked up." Laura replied.

"Sorry, I am just worried about my brother I guess." Joe propped his leg back up onto one of the pillows.

"We all are." Laura added, "However, we're going to remain positive that everything's going to turn out okay for Frank."

Joe just nodded.

He practically hammered the poor doctor to death last night with questions about Frank's heart condition. Dr. Bryce obliged and answered every question Joe threw at him. He still couldn't get the words, 'Depression, Coronary heart disease, Heart attacks, Death, Death!' out of his head, No, that couldn't be Frank. The doctor had insisted that Frank go back to his own bed, once there he had given both boys some medicine to help them relax so they both could have a good night's sleep, especially Frank because he was to undergo some tests first thing in the morning.

Now here it was morning, Joe looked around the hospital room, his parents; Aunt Gertrude and Callie were here in the room with them. Officer Baker arrived an hour ago to relieve Con from his post so he could rest and grab a cup of coffee. Officer Baker waited outside to give the family some private time.

Joe turned his head to the sound of beeping and looked over at the waves moving up and down on the heart monitor that Frank was hooked up to and then looked at his brother. Frank looked calm and well rested, Joe noted, he didn't look sick at all, well aside from the slight worry in his eyes, but he had a smile across his face. Although, Callie standing next to Frank's bedside holding his hand was probably the reason for the smile.

Joe smiled himself; he was trying hard to put up a brave front for his big brother. But deep inside he was scared; because in about five minutes Dr. Bryce was going to come in here and take Frank away for tests; something called an Echocardiogram.

The word alone sounded scary, Dr. Bryce had done his best to describe it to Joe in away it didn't sound so bad. "An Echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce images of the heart. By using these images we can identify angina related problems, including whether there are areas of Frank's heart muscle that have been damaged by poor blood flow."

"We are also going to do a stress test during this procedure, and this can show if there are areas of Frank's heart that are not getting enough blood." Dr. Bryce looks at Joe, "I assure you again, Joe, and Frank," Then he looked at Frank as he finished his point, "this is to makes sure your heart is okay." Frank just nodded to show he understood.

Joe gave a slight nod to show he understood, but his mind wasn't convinced. "What if Frank's heart isn't okay? What if he leaves this room and something happens...what if..."

"Little brother. Hey," Hearing his name Joe snapped out of his troubled thoughts, he turn to his brother and realized Frank must have seen the concern on his face.

"Everything's going to be fine." Frank replied soothingly, to get Joe to calm down, so that he could stay calm.

"Of course, Frank's going to be fine." Laura said, trying her best to hold the tears welling up in her eyes back, while putting up a brave front for her boys. She leaned down and kissed Joe's forehead she was so grateful that he was here and alive.

"Listen to your brother, Joe; everything's going to be fine." Fenton added, he practically drank in the sight of his youngest's bright blue eyes. For three days he thought he'd never see those eyes again. It hurt his heart just thinking of how close they came to losing Joe. All because of Hayden and everyone associated with him. It broke his heart seeing Joe's blue eyes filled with worry.

Fenton turned and looked at Frank; he's the reason for his youngest son's worry, because he was feeling it too he felt the same concern as Joe over his eldest child. Last night, he had in mind to go to New Haven to investigate Bartend's cabin, but then Laura had filled him in on what was going on with Henry and the disappearance of Seth Cohen, and the fear that Frank and Joe's friends had of Henry hurting Frank.

Fenton had yet to hear from Sam and was growing concerned over that as still needed to talk to Joe about who shot him, but at the moment he pushed all that aside for now. Frank's health and wellbeing was more important to him than this case and he needed to be here for his family.

"What's with all the sad faces?" Aunt Gertrude chimed in. "You all act like it's the end of the world for heaven's sake. When Joe went missing for three days we all feared the worst...we drew strength from each other, we comforted and shouted out our anger and cried on each other's shoulders, and prayed to God for a miracle that Joe would come back to us."

She cleared her throat and smiled at her youngest nephew, 'And now here he is, back with us, alive and on the mend."

"Through God's grace our family is back together again. And once again it's time to draw strength from one another because that's what a family does." She walked over on the other side of her eldest nephew's bedside and laid a hand on his shoulder. She leaned over and kissed his cheek; she stood up and sniffed back a sob, "That's how Frank is going to get better." Frank smiled and put his hand on top of hers. It was comforting to know he had her support.

"That's right, let's think good thoughts." Callie replied. She stood next to Frank's bedside, her hand in his. Even though she was worried too, she stayed positive for her boyfriend.

"Okay, think good thoughts, I can do that." Joe looked at Frank he took a deep breath saying the first thing that came to him. "So...Frank, can I redecorate you're room?"

Frank stared at him blankly. "Huh? Where did that come from?" Everyone else stifled a laugh.

"Well you're not going to be using it as much; you'll be away at college. I need a man cave."

"What's wrong with your room? Why can't you turn that pigsty you live in to your man cave?"

"Cause, that's where I sleep, See, I'm going to be a high school senior and I need a place to unwind from the daily grind of school activities, and if I could use your room that would be perfect."

Callie giggled at the sour look Frank was giving his brother.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Joe paused for a moment to think, "Well for starters," Joe began again as an idea came to him, "I'd paint the walls black with gold trim to get rid of that boring blue and white striped wallpaper you picked out. Hang up some sports memorabilia and maybe some wall art like hot babes...I mean," he started to say when Callie gave him a dirty look," hot cars."

"Then I'd get rid of the bed, replace it with a big comfy leather sofa and recliner. One that has a cup holder, and a place to hold my snacks."

"And where am I supposed to sleep when I come home?" Frank retorted.

Joe shrugged. "There's the couch downstairs in the living room."

Frank just rolled his eyes.

"In place of your desk, I'd put in a mini fridge and stock it full with those little frozen pizza bits," Joe nodded. He inched his fingers together to emphasize the size of the bits. "You know the kind you have to microwave, preferably the ones with pepperoni."

"Oh! And beer!" He started to say when his mother shot him an angry look and his aunt planted her hands on her hips ready to give him a tongue lashing, "I mean root beer," he swiftly moved on, "Of course, I'd have to get a microwave for the pizza bits, cause without that would be just wrong."

"You know those maps you've collected from all over the world from our past cases. The ones you have above your desk on the wall?"

"Yeah?" Frank replied dryly.

"I think a large screen TV would go there nicely. That would be so cool for watching football." Joe was really getting excited about his idea, "The room's not big enough for a pool table so I'd have to settle for a dart board. it would be an awesome addition especially when I have guests over..."

"What guests?" Fenton asked.

"Huh, Chet, Biff, Henry, of course you, Sam, and Frank would be invited too." More than one person winched at the mention of Henry but no one spoke up.

Fenton shook his head. Hearing Joe's overactive imagination was definitely a good sign that his youngest son was feeling better.

"So you've been thinking about this?" Frank stifled a laugh; he had frowned at Henry's name but quickly changed to a smile for his brother's sake.

"No," Joe shrugged, "It just came to me." He smiled at Frank. "So can I?"

"No."

Joe frowned and gave his parents sad puppy dog eyes hoping they'd agree to his idea. He got a definite, "No" from his mother and, a "nice try, but no." from his father.

"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying." Joe sighed and shrugged it off. At least he broke the tension radiating from everyone in the room.

(OOOO)

"Good morning. How is everyone?" Dr. Bryce greeted as he walked into the room with an orderly in blue scrubs pushing a wheelchair.

"We're doing as well as expected, given what's going on this morning." Fenton answered for everyone.

The doctor just nodded. He could feel the nervous tension with everyone in the room.

"That's for me I take it." Frank said eying the wheelchair. He hated being pushed around in those things.

"It is." A middle aged man in blue scrubs stepped into the room and answered. "I am Dr. Roberto Vandergrift." He began shaking hands with Fenton.

Dr. Bryce added, "Dr. Vandergrift will be reading and analyzing the results of Frank's tests. He's done this procedure a thousand times I brought him in here so he can answer any questions you might have."

(He may have done this procedure a thousand times,) Joe thought, ( **but** this is MY brother.)

Frank sat up on the edge of the bed. "How long is this going to take?"

"It should take around 15 to 20 minutes to complete." Dr. Vandergrift answered.

"Dr. Bryce has filled me in on the horrific ordeal you boys have been through. That alone can put stress on a heart that can cause angina. I'd like to clarify something. There are many factors that can trigger it: however depression doesn't cause angina. It can acerbate any symptoms already present, while there can be a number of physical symptoms to severe depression but medically speaking a bad heart is a bad heart and being depressed won't suddenly make a healthy one not healthy."

He looked at the parents. "Before I can perform any test is there anything I need to know?"

Fenton gulped, this was the moment he'd been dreading, and he wasn't sure how the boys were going to take it. He looked at Gertrude she gave him a slight nod, and he felt Laura's hand slip into his giving it a light squeeze indicating her support. He knew he had to do this, the boys deserved the truth.

"Laura, Callie lets go get some coffee." Gertrude said taking it as her cue to leave so her brother can talk to the boys privately. She walked over and held out a hand to Callie. Callie looked at Laura who gave her a slight nod. Reluctantly, she let go of Frank's hand gave him a kiss then followed Gertrude out the door. Laura gave both of her boys a hug and reminding them again everything's going to be alright and then left the room.

Fenton admitted once the ladies left. "My father suffered from mental illness for years. When I was not much older than Frank, I saw him commit suicide and I myself dealt with depression as a result from it."

Frank and Joe looked at their father expectantly. They didn't know what to say. They glanced with each other then turn back to Fenton one looking at him curiously and the other warily at him.

"You told us he died in a car accident?" Joe spoke up first.

"Your grandmother, Gertrude and I made up the story because we didn't want people to know he was mentally ill. For a long time, we kind of suspected that something wasn't quite right with him mentally, although depression wasn't ever talked about. His moods would change frequently; his emotions were all over the place."

"So you lied to us all these years." Joe said heatedly. "You're talking about mental illness, Dad! Why would you keep something like that from us! Didn't you think we had a right to know? You've seen what Frank's going through, when you've known all this time!"

"Joe, stop! Please." Frank suddenly grabbed at his chest, gasping in pain, causing the heart rate monitor to go off.

"Frank!" Joe cried out.

"Frank, I need you to take a slow and steady breath." Dr. Bryce rushed over and grabbed an oxygen mask, placing it over his nose and mouth. "Listen, don't get yourself all excited." Frank did as the doctor instructed. He glared at Fenton and said nothing.

"I'm sorry, Frank. I wasn't thinking." Joe apologized, calming down. He was still angry with his father. Frank rubbed his aching chest and began trying his best to calm down but he felt as if he was going to explode.

"Boys, I'm so sorry I've kept this from you for so long." Fenton took a deep breath. He was working hard to keep his emotions at bay. "I've wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how. So I kept putting it off, until this case with Hayden brought everything back."

Joe glanced over at Frank who was staring downward his jaw was clinched he could tell he was in deep thought.

"I'm sorry, to interrupt." Dr. Vandergrift cut in. "We need to get Frank going for his tests." He turned to Frank. "I'll see you in about five minutes. Don't worry everything going to be fine."

"Thank you, doctor." Fenton replied. Dr. Vandergrift nodded and then he left the room.

Fenton nodded, "Boys, we'll continue to talk about this later, we need to concentrate on you both getting better first."

Joe watched the orderly unhook Frank from the heart monitor and ease him into the wheelchair. "Wait, can I go with him?" Joe said, started to sit up in his bed, all the movement causing the pain in his leg to flare up again. "Ow!"

"I'm sorry Joe, you'll have to wait here." Dr. Bryce instructed as he gently pulled Joe back to rest against the pillows. "While Frank is going through tests, I'm going to give you a full check up and see how your leg is healing."

"Well then after that I can go? Please." Joe pleaded. "You can wheel me down in one of those things." He nodded at the wheelchair he too also loathed, but he was willing to ride in one if it meant he could be near Frank.

"I'm sorry Joe. We'll have him back here as soon as he is finished."

Joe bit his lip. He didn't want to cry here like a baby. His mind began to wonder again, what if Frank's heart isn't okay. What if he leaves this room and something happens...what if?"

"Joe." He heard Frank say his name, Joe snapped out of his thoughts; he looked at his brother and saw him patting his chest with his hand. He met his brother's eyes and put his hand to his own chest, a gesture that was becoming very familiar to him; Frank didn't have to say anything. Joe felt it in his heart.

 _(Everything's going to be fine.)_ Joe told himself, he just had to believe that. Frank will be back.


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you to t4swp, Cherylann Rivers, MargaratA66, Candylou, Drumbboy 100 and Caranath for leaving me wonderful reviews, and for anyone following and favorite or just reading, you are all awesome! And a big thank you to my beta reader Caranath for your help with my story.

Aftermath chapter 25

Fenton stood outside of the boys' room with Officer Baker waiting to find out the results of Joe's check-up. Even though he was worried about his eldest son, he felt he could trust that Frank was in good hands with Dr. Vandergrift. He would wait for Frank to come back from his test.

He had to admit he felt a little relieved to finally tell the boys the truth about the death of their grandfather. Although he knew his boys well enough to know they'd want an explanation and he was prepared to give it to them later. Right now getting the boys well was his main priority.

Dr. Bryce stepped out of the room. "Fenton, you may come in now." Fenton stepped back into the room to his youngest son's bedside. The doctor began to explain. "The swelling in his leg has gone down, and the fever has subsided which is a good sign."

"Well, that is good news," Fenton said breathing a sigh of relief.

"I've cleaned the wound and put a fresh bandage on it." The doctor continued. "I've also given him a mild dose of pain medication; I can increase the dosage if needed."

"I don't mind the pain I welcome it." Joe hissed as he propped his leg back on the pillow. "It reminds me that my leg is still intact."

He shivered inwardly remembering Nurse Matthews's threat, 'I'll take either your leg or your life'. Then a flash of the masked man who shot him entered Joe's head and then changed to Hayden. "How long will I have to stay here?" He asked **,** quickly pushing the thoughts away.

"At least a week. Of course part of that will be getting you started on physical therapy for your leg. We'll have you up walking around in no time." Dr. Bryce said hoping to brighten up Joe's mood. "You should make a full recovery by the time football practice starts up again. I know how much you're looking forward to playing again, considering this is your senior year."

"Yeah," Joe answered vaguely. He laid back against the pillow to rest. "I don't care about that. Frank is all that matters." Frank had just left five minutes ago, but to Joe it might as well have been five hours. He placed his hand over his chest he can feel his brother's heartbeat. "He won't admit it, but I know he's scared. I can feel it."

It broke Fenton's heart to see him like this. "Son, I know you're worried about Frank. He's going to be fine, you'll see."

"What if something goes wrong?" Joe looked down at his injured leg. He looked back up at the doctor and his father. "I've read stories where people have died while undergoing simple tests." He felt his anxiety starting to kick in.

"Joe, calm down." Fenton put a hand on his son's shoulder to keep him from jumping out of bed. "That's not going to happen in this case. Frank will be back. You'll see."

"I can't explain it, Dad. I have this feeling someone close to me is going to die. Oh God! Oh God! It's Frank!" Suddenly, Joe grabbed his chest and began gasping for breath. "I... can't... breathe!"

Officer Baker stepped into the room hearing all the commotion. "Is everything okay?"

"He's having a panic attack." The doctor said. He was well aware that Joe had to be dealing with PTSD; from his latest abduction and abuse he endured from Hayden, now with his brother being sick it was making matters worse.

"Joe lay back down!" Fenton ordered. Putting his hands on Joe's shoulders, he tried to push him back against the pillows.

"You're going to rip out those stitches," Dr. Bryce added.

"I don't care! Frank needs me!" Joe cried, jerking away from Dr. Bryce when he tried to grab him. It took the strength of both Fenton and Dr. Bryce to get Joe to lay down again. But, the more they held Joe down, the more agitated he got.

"Frank!" Joe screamed, refusing to lie down. His leg hurt like hell, he didn't care. In his weakened state, he didn't let those crazy people he had fought with at that cabin stop him from getting to his brother. Frank was all that mattered.

"Its okay, Son," Fenton said in a soothing voice, doing his best to stay in control. He touched the side of Joe's face. "It's okay."

Fenton saw true fear in his youngest eyes. He suddenly had a flash back to Frank's sudden and uncharacteristic outburst out at the Morton farm, " _I can feel Joe! He's hurt and scared and he needs me!"_ He had had only pulled Frank aside to calm him down; he'd never questioned what his son was feeling. So why would he question Joe? It goes back to the 'special connection' the boys shared. If what Joe is feeling is true, then...

No! He quickly pushed that thought out of his head. Think good thoughts. Fenton kept reminding himself. (Frank is alright. He's in good hands. He will be back.) He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand getting Joe to calm down.

"Let me go. I need to find my brother!" Joe continued screaming.

"Joe, look at me," Fenton said in a commanding voice. "Do you want Frank to see you acting like this?"

Joe looked at his father with anger in his eyes. "Think about it, if you can sense that he's scared, then he's probably sensing the same about you. So if you calm down, then he will do the same."

"Listen to your dad, Joe." Dr. Bryce said in a stern voice. "If you don't calm down, I'll have to sedate you." He added calmly and sympathetically. " If Dr. Vandergrift does find something wrong with your brother's heart. Then we'll take the proper steps to treat it."

Joe laid back against the pillow they were right; he had to calm down, for Frank's sake. Joe slowly began to relax and get his breathing under control.

In the heavy silence, Fenton and the doctor stepped back a little to give Joe some space.

"Damn it," He cursed. "I can't go through this shit again." He started to choke upon his words **,** allowing a wave of emotions to hit him. "It hurt too much when I-Iola died."

He looked at his father with tears running down his face. "If Frank dies, I'll want to die too." Joe closed his eyes to shut the world out.

Fenton paled he realized what Joe's tirade was about. This is what he feared would happen when his sons learned the truth about their grandfather. This was hitting a little too close to home for him. He cleared his throat and turned to the doctor. "Could I have a moment alone with my son?" he asked.

"I do need to go make my rounds." Dr. Bryce turned to his young patient. "Joe, I'll be back later to check on you. Press the call button if you need anything, Alright? Get some rest. Everything's going to be fine."

"I'll be right outside too if you need anything?" Officer Baker added.

Joe nodded his response as the doctor and the officer headed out the door.

(OOOO)

Once they were alone, Fenton pulled a chair up next to Joe's bed and sat down. He took a deep breath to keep his own emotions at bay. "Joe, please look at me, and listen to me."

"Why? Do you want to fess up to another dark family secret?" Joe slowly opened his eyes and looked at his father. "Let me guess, I'm adopted, right?" He shot back sarcastically.

Fenton said, biting his tongue. "I'm going to let your sarcastic tone slide, considering everything you're going through." He took a calming breath and started counting to ten. Joe certainly knew how to test his temper.

Cindy Hayden already told him the name of the person who shot his son and the details of his abduction. However, he would like to hear from Joe's perspective. By the way Joe was acting right now, there was simply no way that would happen. He'll refuse to talk and shut down on him altogether. Frank was the only thing on Joe's mind.

Fenton nodded. "All right, I do want to sit down and talk to you and your brother, but it can wait until we get home. Get some rest." He understood Joe isn't himself right now. "I'm going to go find your mother."

Joe nodded and closed his eyes again. Fenton got up and left the room. "Keep an eye on him for me." He said to Officer Baker.

"Sure thing, Mr. Hardy."

Just then Callie was making her way back to Frank and Joe's room. As she got closer she noted Fenton was standing outside the room talking to Officer Baker.

"Mr. Hardy."

"Callie, I thought you went to get a coffee?"

"I decided to take a walk instead to clear my head, but then I got to thinking about Frank." She rambled on nervously. "Then I thought maybe I could keep Joe company. He must be worrying himself sick waiting for Frank to come back."

"Is it okay if I sit with Joe? I'll understand if you say no." She didn't want to overstep her boundaries. "I just want to help."

Fenton hadn't realized it before until now on the tremendous support Callie had been for his eldest son. He admired the amount of strength she showed for Frank through the crises when Joe went missing. It didn't go unnoticed the way Callie was holding Frank's hand comforting him while he waited to go for his tests. She also had been a great comfort for Laura through all of this as well. That in itself was a comfort to Fenton. He was grateful Callie took it upon herself to bring it to his wife's attention regarding the situation with Henry and the boys' safety.

The fact that Callie had spent most of the night in the waiting room spoke volumes to Fenton showed how much she cared about them. Callie reminded him of Laura at her age. It was through Laura's strength, courage, and support that had gotten Fenton through the dark times of his life. That was the kind of girl he'd want for his son. He just hoped Frank knew how lucky he is to have this extraordinary young lady in his life.

He finally answered her. "Joe could use a distraction." He said wryly. "Are you going to be okay alone with Joe? He can be a handful."

Callie wanted to do this as a favor to Frank. She knew he'd be worrying about him. Truthfully, she cared about Joe too. "I'll be fine. I can handle Joe. I'll try to keep him calm and distract him from worrying about his brother."

"Thank you," Fenton replied, gratefully. "I'll be back in a few minutes. But, if you need anything Officer Baker is right outside."

"I will, thank you," Callie replied.

(OOOO)

Callie had been meaning to talk to Joe. If she wanted a future with Frank she would need Joe's acceptance. This was her chance. "Here goes." She took a deep breath before stepping into the room and stepped up to Joe's bedside.

"Joe."

The silence was all she got from him. His eyes were closed she saw his chest rising and heard him breathing steady. He must be sleeping.

"Joe." She tried again.

"Not now, Callie." Okay, he's not asleep.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Not now."

"Joe, please."

"Not now, go away."

"You could at least look at me and tell me to go away." Callie sighed out of annoyance.

With the click of his tongue, Joe's eyes popped open and glared up at her. He sat up quickly and winced as the movement caused his leg to hurt. "Please not now." Stubbornly, Joe laid his head down on his pillow and started counting to ten the last thing he needed was to get into a fight with Callie.

Joe pursed his lips together and turns his head away from her.

"All right I'll go, but first there's something I want to tell you." Callie began blinking back tears. "Those three days you went missing Frank was scared that he had lost you, and so was I."

"You were scared of losing me?" Joe turned back to her surprised.

"Yes you idiot." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Believe it or not, I do care about you, even though you drive me crazy. I don't want to fight." She looked down and began fidgeting with her manicured fingernails. "I don't want to think of you as just my boyfriend's brother. I want you as my friend."

Joe was touched by her words. Now he felt like a real idiot for lashing out at Callie. He took a deep breath and swallowed his pride. "I'm sorry Callie, for yelling at you. I'm just worried about him, you know? I don't like that he's sick." He said feeling a lot calmer.

"I know. I am too." She replied.

"The truth is, I want to work things out with you, so Frank won't stress out," Joe said thinking about his promise to Frank. "I'd like us to be friends. I know it would make Frank happy. It's going to take work for both of us to reach that point of friendship."

"We can help each other." Callie sighed hopefully. She felt as if they were making progress already.

Joe paused for a moment. He began putting the words together in his mind he wanted to say to Callie. "Frank told me you guys shared a special moment under the oak tree at the Morton farm, you know before I was abducted." He shuddered at the thought of his nightmare. He forced himself to block it out.

"He told you about that?" Callie asked. "Of course he would," She laughed sheepishly, "He tells you everything."

"He told me how amazing you've been through all of this. And that he didn't know what he'd do without you." Joe added thinking of his brother. "Frank even told me you shared your feelings and a kiss. He said he felt happy sharing that moment with you. He was happy. I watched his eyes light up and a genuine smile on his face. It was good to see him like that."

"Did you mean it, do you love Frank?" He asked Callie looking directly in her brown eyes. "If you're lying and hurt him, you and I will have a problem."

"It's not that I don't like you, Callie, because I do like you." He confessed the truth, "it's just you use to scare me."

"I scare you?"

"Yes and still do."

"Why?"

"My brother isn't some macho guy who likes to throw himself at women. And as hard as it is for him to express his feelings, if he tells you he loves you then he means every word of it. Plus, I don't want Frank to ever go through that pain of losing you like I did with Iola. You have a big piece of his heart. If he lost you, he'd be devastated."

"You have him, Callie. He loves you and he's going to ask you to marry him someday." Joe quickly wiped his tears away with the corner sleeve of his hospital gown. "Don't mess it up. You're going to be a part of my life too. I don't want to lose my future sister."

Callie blinked tears from her eyes. She was touched that Joe was pouring out his heart to her like this; she felt he opened the door to his acceptance to her future with his brother. She knew she had to tread carefully or that door will close.

She pushed back a sob and cleared her throat and said, "I love Frank more than anything." She grabbed Joe's hand.

"Knowing that he's sick? Can you handle that?" Joe brought up. "Frank's worried that he'll become violent like Hayden and hurt you."

"Where did he get that crazy idea?" Callie gasped.

"Hayden," Joe growled. "I could kill that bastard with my bare hands just for that." He balled his hands into fists. "He's going to pay for all the pain he's caused everyone." Joe's thoughts suddenly turn to Henry and the promise to be there in the courtroom with him when he testified against Hayden.

Joe propped himself up on his elbows and asked Callie. "Would you happen to know where Henry is?"

Callie's stomach dropped. Should she be the one to tell him about Henry mistreating Chet's family, and Seth Cohen's disappearance. How would Joe react to Henry's hatred towards Frank and wanting to hurt him? Would Joe even believe it? Of course, he would. She reasoned. Wouldn't he?

"Callie!"

"No, I'm sorry I don't know where he is." Callie shook the thoughts out of her head. She quickly diverted back to Joe's first statement. She said with conviction, "Frank would never hurt me. It's not in him. He's nothing like Hayden."

"That's what I told him," Joe added thinking of his conversation with Frank earlier.

Callie put her hand on top of Joe's and looked into his blue eyes. "I am scared but, I'm not going anywhere." She confirmed. "I'm here for Frank and you too."

"Thank you for being honest with me."

"That goes for you too." She replied, debating on whether to tell him about Henry. No, she thought now is not the time.

There was a moment of silence between them.

Joe just looked at her. He had a feeling she was holding something back.

Callie asked changing the subject. "So, have you thought about what college you want to go to after you graduate next year?"

"What?" Joe looked at her strangely.

"Have you thought about college?" Callie answered. "What about Princeton ?"

Now he knew something was up, Joe shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, probably Bayport U or NYU they're both good schools. Plus, they're close to home."

"Bayport U is where I'm going," Callie replied. "Frank and I had planned on going there together, but then he got accepted to Princeton ." She shook her head, "I couldn't let him pass that opportunity up." It saddens her that they were going to be apart, but she knew this was for the best for Frank. "He needs to get away from here. He needs to feel like Frank again."

"I agree." Joe nodded. "As hard as it will be to see him leave, Princeton is exactly where he needs to be. That brain of his needs to soak up all that knowledge that college has to offer him, for him it will be like a solving a mystery." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I just want my brother back."

"I can handle Frank being depressed, I think? But what if there's something wrong with his heart?" Joe looked down at his leg on the pillow. He began to tear up and looked up at Callie. "I can't go through this shit again like I did when Iola died." He quickly pushed back his emotions; he didn't want to cry like a baby in front of Callie.

Thinking of the late Iola Morton brought tears to Callie's eyes; she had been her best friend and missed her every day. She quickly wiped her tears from her face. "Stop. Don't ever think of that. Frank is getting the best care and that's what we want for him to have the best. You'll see Frank's going to be fine, he will come back to us. Think good thoughts."

"Right, think good thoughts. Frank's coming back. He's fine." Joe placed his hand over his chest. He smiled trying to be positive.

He still couldn't shake the feeling someone close to him was going to die. He felt tears running down his face when he thought of Frank. What if those crazy people who kidnapped me found they're way in here? What if they got to him? What if... (God please, l _et Frank be alright_.) He silently prayed. He turned his eyes to the doorway. _Please_ ** _let_** _him come through that door._

(OOOO)

Twenty minutes later, Joe's prayer was answered when an orderly came in pushing Frank in a wheelchair. The orderly helped ease Frank back into his bed. Joe and Callie were overjoyed to see him. They noted Frank's face was pale and he looked tired.

"Try to relax, Frank, okay? The doctor will be in a little bit." The orderly said as he got Frank hooked back up to the heart monitor.

As soon as the orderly left Callie went over to Frank and gave him a quick kiss. "I'm so glad to see you." She held back her tears, now was not the time to cry. She had to be brave.

"Frank, how did it go?" She asked concerned. She squeezed his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"It wasn't as bad as I thought. They took a picture of my heart, and they had me running on a treadmill." Frank gave her hand a light squeeze. "Yeah, I'm tired more then anything."

"So did he tell you anything?" Joe asked worriedly. He was so grateful to see his brother. The fact that he was here in front of him gave Joe hope. Hell, yeah of course Frank's not going anywhere. Who else is going to kick my ass when I'm doing something stupid. No one does it better then my big brother.

"Dr. Vandergrift is going over the tests right now, and he'll by with the results once he's finished."

Just then, Dr. Vandergrift came into the room as Fenton, Laura and Gertrude joined them.

"Is Frank going to be fine doctor?" Laura asked, sniffing back a sob.

"Wait, is it okay for me to be in here?" Callie asked. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries. But she was hoping she could stay, she wanted to be here for Frank.

"Are you family?" The doctor asked.

Callie opened her mouth to answer. "Yes, she is." Laura answered for her. Callie smiled at her with gratitude.

"Dr. Vandergrift, please just cut right to it." Fenton put his arms around his wife holding her close to prepare themselves.

"Please." Frank spoke up.

The doctor sighed, "Well, Frank, the results are normal; your heart is working properly. I didn't see signs of blockage that would indicate a coronary artery disease. This is good news." He paused as gasps of relief echoed around him. "However, the results from the stress test we took did show the level of stress had weakened the heart valves."

"Is that serious?" Joe said, sitting up. His heart sank **;** he didn't like the way it sounded. He looked at Frank.

"It can be, If not treated properly."

"So Frank's chest pains were brought on by stress?" Fenton asked trying to understand this. He wanted to help his son any way he can.

"Basically, yes."

"Okay so what do we do to fix this?" Frank asked eagerly.

"With medication, a proper diet and explore ways and methods to manage stress, such as through exercise, supportive relationships, and meditation. The long-term prognosis is excellent. The heart should return to normal within a few weeks with no permanent damage."

"Well, I have no problem with exercise, and meditation." Frank said he looked around at his family. "Supportive relationships, I've got that." He scrounged his face, "Medication, however I'm not too keen on."

"You may not have a choice at this point." The doctor put in holding a medical chart. "We need to work on strengthening your heart valves. I will prescribe some medicine that will help."

"That might be easier said then done."

"Frank you're going to do as the doctor said." Laura said firmly.

"As for depression, I'd recommend you see a therapist to get a proper diagnosis." The doctor added, "We have an excellent psychiatrist here at the hospital a Dr. Liz Reese. If you don't want to talk to her then she could give you a few references. _"_

"The main thing right now is for you to avoid stress and get plenty of rest. With that being said, I'm going to leave so you to have time with your family. If you need anything just press the call button; either a nurse or Dr. Bryce will be here."

Frank just nodded.

"Thank you, Dr. Vandergrift." Fenton replied gratefully. The doctor nodded and with that, he left the room.

"Well this is excellent news." Laura said beaming. Her mind rested on the doctor's words about her son's heart, 'no permanent damage' and, 'excellent prognosis', 'return to normal within a few weeks'."

Fenton said. He too was thrilled with this news. "We'll talk later. Right now, both you boys need your rest."

"Now Frank don't you be stubborn, you do as what the doctor tells you. We got to get you boys up on your feet." Gertrude hugged each of her nephews then left the room.

"Is there anything you boys need before we go?" Laura asked.

Joe spoke up patting his stomach. "I could go for a Prito's special right about now." His mouth watered just thinking about his favorite pizza. Laura smiled hearing her youngest was hungry was music to her ears.

"I don't think so, you're going to have to settle for hospital food." Laura said. She went over and gave each of her boys a hug and kiss. "I love you both so much." She was going to get her two strong, healthy boys back.

"I'm sure Tony would be more then happy to make you one of his specials once you're home." Fenton chuckled. Joe mentioning of food was a good sign. "We'll be back in a bit." With that he hugged his sons before taking his wife's hand and made their way out of the room.

 _"Yuck_ hospital food." Joe wrinkled his nose. "I might as well eat wall paper paste."

"Joe, you did do that."

"For the last time Frank I was FIVE."

"Fifteen." Frank corrected him. He snickered. "You were fifteen."

"Did you really do that?" Callie wrinkled her nose grossed out at the thought. It did sound like a Joe thing to do.

"I thought it was oatmeal." Joe said explaining his side of the tale. "I did not know Aunt Gertrude was wallpapering her room." He huffed out. "I was five!"

"Fifteen."

"Shut up. Hey, at least it had a taste." Joe grumbled folding his arms to his chest. "Unlike that crappy hospital food."

"Joe, I'm not making any promises." Callie stifled a laugh. "But, I'll talk to Tony and see about sneaking you in a slice or two." However she thought he might be busy helping Phil search for his cousin.

"Woohoo!" Joe cheered with his arms raised up. "Frank, your girlfriend's a keeper. She's sounding like a Hardy already." Then he asked, "Hey, Callie, could you do me another favor?"

"Sure, what's that?"

"Will you find out where Henry is for me? He's probably with Chet. I need to talk to him."

Callie plastered a smile on her face. Frank stopped laughing and rubbed his aching chest at his brother's mention of Henry. He caught a look on his girlfriend's face that told him something was up.

"I'll be back soon." She said reassuring her boyfriend and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"Callie." Frank replied back. "I love you too."

"Joe, I'll see what I can do." Callie nodded before leaving. "No promises."

Once the brothers were alone each quiet in their thoughts.

Joe spoke up first. "So, Frank, are you really, okay?" He asked, concerned.

"I will be." Frank said pulling out the wires from his wrists causing the heart monitor to go off. "Move over little brother."

'What are you doing?" Joe asked. "Should you be doing that?"

"I said move over little brother. We've got to talk." Frank said ignoring the question. He threw off his blanket and swung his legs out of his bed.

"What is it Frank?" Joe carefully moved over to make room for his brother.

"When I was going through my tests," Frank began he put his arm around Joe. He put a hand on his chest. "I had this strange feeling come over me."

Joe clutched a hand to his own chest. "What did it feel like?"

"It was not a good feeling." Frank admitted.

"I felt it too, like someone close to me is going to die." Joe frowned. "At first I thought it was you." As grateful as he was to have his brother here by his side gave him hope. However, if it's not Frank then who?

Fenton was out in the waiting room, Laura and Gertrude had left to get some lunch. He would join them shortly, but first he had to check his phone for messages from Sam. He was growing worried, He should have heard from him by now. It was not like Sam to not check in.

"Fenton."

He looked up to see Officer Riley walking up to him. By the grim expression on his face, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like the news.

"Say whatever you have to tell me, Con." He sighed, dreading the news.

"We found Seth Cohen." The officer replied. "Well, actually your partner found him in the back alley of the coffee shop."

"Dead?"

"Afraid so."

"So you heard from Sam?"

"Yeah, he's here. He's been hurt."


	26. Chapter 26

Hi, sorry it's taken me so long up update, well between work and RL I've been fixing working this chapter ended up being longer then I had planned so I decided to split it into two chapters. which I will post after this one.

I want to thank everyone who sent me wonderful reviews on my last chapter, Patti Catt, racey losh, Cherylann Rivers , Jessica Raedawn, Abelin , Frankenstein's Bride , Kimba Kellie ,Drumboy100 ,t4swp , Candylou , Caranath thank you again for helping me with my story you are awesome :)

also everyone who's favorite, following or just reading. Here's my new chapter. Things are about to hit the fan and truth's are about to be revealed and all is setting things for the squeal, so please brace yourself when you get to the end of this chapter, it's going to be a shocker. That's why I'm giving you then next chapter it will explain everything.

Aftermath chapter 26

"Around eight this morning an employee from the coffee shop was taking out the trash." Con explained to Fenton as they were on their way to see Sam. "He found Sam lying by the dumpster unconscious, thankfully alive. He ran inside to tell his manager, Ron Emrick. He called 911. And as soon as help arrived Sam regained consciousness and he managed to tell us Seth's body was lying in the alley. "

"Has the cause of death been determined yet?" Fenton asked.

"The coroner's report came back the boy died from blunt force trauma to the head. The time of death was around 10pm." Con stopped in his tracks and took off his hat tucking it under his armpit. "He was struck multiple times in the head to the point he was unrecognizable."

"The murder weapon was lying beside him. A damn bloody brick. The boy had bruising all over his face and his windpipe was crushed," He ran a hand through his hair. He was trying hard to stay professional, but the last part really got to him, "there were handprints encircling around his neck."

"This has to be the worst murder I've seen in years." Tears began forming in the corner of his eyes, "The Chief would call the person who did this an 'animal', because, no one especially a kid should ever die like that."

Silence began to build between the two men each lost in their thoughts.

"How do you know it's Seth?" Fenton asked breaking the silence.

"Sam had Seth's wallet in his hand. The chief's going to notify his parents."

Fenton couldn't help feel a little guilty, for he and Laura were in that same position not more then three days ago. Dreading that phone call telling them their son was dead. They had prayed to God that Joe would come back to them alive. Thankfully, their prayers were answered they got Joe back. Now Seth's parents would be getting that dreaded phone call.

Damn.

"Did Sam mention anything else?"

"No that's all he managed to say before the paramedics loaded him up in the ambulance and on his way to the hospital."

"Was Sam hit with the brick too?"

"No, at least we don't think so."

"Did anyone question the staff and customers of the coffee shop?"

"Yes, I did talk to a waitress who worked last night." Con answered. "She was getting ready to close. She had one customer, a man sitting at a table in the corner."

"He was wearing dark clothes and he had a cap over his face making it hard for her to see his face. She said he never spoke just sat at the table drinking coffee."

"She said she felt uneasy about the man so she went back to the kitchen to call Mr. Emrick and when she returned the man was gone. This was around 10 last night."

"Luckily, Mr. Emrick had installed a security camera outside the alley. The Chief is looking into that as we speak. Plus, the brick was dusted for fingerprints and taken to the lab. So hopefully we'll be able to ID the person who attacked Sam and killed Seth."

A list of suspects came to Fenton's mind. Daniel Bartend, Karen Marshall, Hayden's younger brother Ryan. But why would they? It didn't make sense. What reason would they have to kill Seth Cohen?

Maybe it was the fact that Fenton wanted them behind bars so bad. He rubbed his eyes again, he hadn't slept in the last three days and his body was starting to feel it. Fenton refused to rest until Jack Hayden was put away for good. He had to complete this case. He had to get justice for everyone. He had to get justice for his sons.

Then something Laura had said to him about a conversation she had with Callie came to his mind. Seth wanted to help his boys. He went looking for Henry to talk to him about his learning disability, and to try to keep him away from Joe so that it wouldn't stress Frank out. Callie was afraid Henry had done something dreadful to Seth and would do the same to Frank.

Frank had told Fenton from the beginning of this case about Henry's crazy obsession with his youngest. At the time Fenton had pushed it aside because it wasn't a priority, finding Joe was! Now he had to put Henry front and center, for everyone's safety especially his boys.

Breaking into Fenton's thoughts, Con let out a heavy sigh, and wiped the tears from his face.

"You know, after twenty years of doing this job, I thought I'd seen it all, until this happened. It was bad enough finding Joe practically bleeding to death in the backseat of Ryan Hayden's car. Now after seeing Seth's body like that. I've had enough." He shook his head, "I love being a cop. It's been my whole life. Chief wanted me to take some time off, well I'm going to do just that." He traced his finger over his badge, "In fact I think it's time to retire."

"Con, I know we had some issues in the beginning of this case because of what happened with Joe. But, all of that has changed you saved Joe's life, and that makes you family."

Fenton cleared his throat, "I'd hate to see you leave. I know the boys will. Bayport PD won't be the same without you; you are a damn good officer. I understand the reasons though, every officer goes through this. The job gets to you and you reach a point when you know when it's time to walk away. Just make sure you're leaving for the right reasons."

A few minutes later, they got directions at the nurses' station to Sam's room. As Fenton and Con got closer to the room they heard someone shouting, "I'm not staying!"

"Sir you need to stay for observation."

Fenton stood in the doorway of the room and sure enough there was Sam in the flesh with a white bandage around his head up on the edge of the bed.

"Damn it! I don't care. I'm not staying!" Sam yelled at a doctor in front of him.

"Sam, you are a sight for sore eyes."

"Fenton, oh thank God. You and Con, get me the hell out of here." Sam said, letting out a sigh of relief when he looked up to see his friends walking into the room.

"Are you family?" The doctor asked Fenton.

"You could say that." Fenton replied he gave a quick introduction and took out his badge to show the doctor.

"Well, good. Detective maybe your partner will listen to you." The doctor said evenly. He added looking at Sam. "He has a mild concussion from a blow to the back of his head. He needs to stay overnight for observation, but he refuses to comply."

"I can't." Sam grabbed the back of his head and winced at the pain. "There's no time. Give me whatever papers I have to sign, and my clothes." He plucked at his hospital gown and started to get off the bed and almost lost his balance. He held onto the bed for support.

"You're in no shape to go anywhere. You need to stay."

"Look, doc, I'll take a damn aspirin when I get home," Sam ended with no room to argue. "I need to talk to my partner and Officer Riley."

"Fine." the doctor huffed. He turned to Fenton and said, "Convince your friend to stay." With that, he left the room.

"Sam, the doctor's right." Con agreed. "You don't look so good."

"Sorry, no can do, my friend."

"You're just as bad as the boys when it comes to getting medical attention." Fenton commented thinking about his boys. "They practically have to be hogtied to their beds."

"Where do you think they get that from?" Sam remarked folding his arms across his chest. "I seem to recall Fen, a time or two when you've been hurt while working on a case. You refuse treatment until Laura has to step in and make you change your mind."

"True, she does have a knack for that." Fenton nodded. He countered back folding his arms to his chest. "Does that mean I need to call Laura in here to make you stay?"

Sam blanched at the thought of having to face Laura. "Damn, fine, I'll stay." He murmured and lay back down on the bed. "At least until my head stops spinning."

"Good idea."

"Speaking of your boys, how're they?" Sam asked with concern.

Fenton quickly filled Sam in starting with Joe healing from a gunshot wound and then ending with the situation with Frank's heart.

"I'm so glad Joe's going to be okay." Sam replied. "So Frank's chest pains were brought on by stress? Of course I understand why he would be stressed out given what he's been through."

"He'll have to find ways to manage his stress, on top of taking medication to help strengthen his heart. The doctor said the long-term prognosis is excellent. Frank's heart should return to normal within a few weeks with no permanent damage."

"He's never been one to take to medicine." Sam commented rubbing his aching head. "Didn't he throw a temper tantrum when he was what six? All because he didn't want to take some medicine?"

"Yeah," Fenton nodded. "He had an ear infection. Frank wouldn't take the medicine the doctor prescribed so Laura and I had to resort to hiding it in his food. It worked for awhile until he got smart and figured out what we were doing."

Fenton smiled recalling the memory. "And I believe that was the only time he ever threw a tantrum."

"Frank was such an easy kid, never one to cry out for attention, unlike his brother who demanded it. And now look at them, Joe a soon to be high school senior and Frank a freshmen at Princeton. They should be having the time of their lives instead of going through hell."

Sam replied after he finished. "Fenton, your boys are resilient. They'll bounce back from all this. Then they'll get into something else that will add more gray hairs on your head."

"Don't I know it."

Sam could see the bags under Fenton's eyes; his dark eyes were filled with fear, anger and worry. It was clear the man was under a lot of stress; it really was hard for Sam to see his friend like this. "How are you doing? You look like you could use some rest yourself."

"I told them the truth about their grandfather's death." Fenton answered somberly running a hand through his hair.

Sam whistled. "How did that go?" He held a hand on his head regretting doing that.

"Joe's angry with me. Frank on the other hand hasn't said anything. But I know he's going to want answers. But, I can deal with that later. Right now I'm more interested in what's going on with you."

Fenton said. "Con told me you found Seth Cohen."

"Yeah, it was not a pretty sight." Sam said regretfully. His stomach still churned just thinking about the battered boy.

Sam gave his account of what happened. He rubbed his aching head as he began to remember more of what had happened. "I went to find Henry after he had that fight with his mother. I remember running into Dr. Reese by the hospital's entrance."

"Dr. Reese, Henry's therapist?" Fenton asked exchanging looks with Con and turned their attention to Sam.

"That's right. She told me Henry yelled at her, told her to stop following him before pushing her to the ground and ran off. She'd assured me that she was fine, just a little bruised from the fall and shaken by Henry's actions."

"I had had escorted her back inside to one of the emergency room personnel just to be on the safe side. Then I went back outside to look for Henry. I found him about halfway down the block arguing with Seth I'd recognized him as the cousin of one of Frank and Joe's friends. Thankfully it was a moonless night; I used the darkness as cover to hide behind parked cars along the street, following the two boys to the back alley of the coffee shop."

"There I saw Henry beating up Seth. Before I could step in and stop Henry, someone came up behind me, and clobbered me on the back of the head and I was out."

"I woke up and found the bloody brick and the boy dead on the ground." Sam felt sick as he remembered the unpleasant sight. "I found the kid's ID in his wallet and I knew it was Seth."

Damn. Fenton closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He opened his eyes as he thought out loud. "Well, there had to be someone else in that alley. Obviously, Henry wasn't the one who hit you."

"The man in black clothing the waitress saw in the coffee shop?" Con suggested. "Hopefully, the footage on the security camera will be able to tell us more."

"Sam, do you remember anything else?" He asked.

Sam thought for a minute. He rubbed his aching head. "Um, actually yeah, I did find something else on the ground by the brick." He looked at Fenton, "I wanted you to see it first before I turned it over as evidence."

Fenton's heart stopped when he saw concern in his friend's eyes. "Sam, what is it?" He braced himself for the bad news that was coming.

Sam let out a heavy sigh as he answered, "Look in the left pocket of my pants." He nodded towards the closet.

Fenton did as his friend instructed. He went over to the closet and found his pants. He reached the pocket and pulled a folded piece of paper.

He unfolded the paper. "What in the hell is this?" He looked at it in disgust. "Is that supposed to be Frank?" He handed the paper to Con.

What the hell? The officer thought. It was a drawing of a blond superhero character firing off some kind of x-ray gun at a dark haired figure in a dark suit. The dark figure was leaning back as though he'd been hit by the blast, clutching at his chest, red ink, which Con assumed was blood, seeping through his fingers.

Con studied the dark haired figure closely. Fenton was right. It did resemble Frank. The officer couldn't help but feel disturbed by this.

"Frank showed me a drawing Henry did of Joe." Fenton pointed out. "But it was a single drawing." He said, "That must be a new drawing Henry did." He quickly explained to Con and Sam the issue of Henry's dangerous obsession with Joe and his growing hatred towards Frank.

Con replied back. "So is this supposed to be Henry?" He held up the drawing to Fenton and pointed at the blond character, "Firing off a gun at the dark haired figure who is supposed to be Frank."

"That would be my guess." Fenton nodded. "We may have a clue as who killed Seth."

"Henry's fingerprints are on that paper. So if they match the prints on the brick, then we have proof Henry killed Seth." Those words left a bitter taste in his mouth; he didn't know how Joe's going to react to this news.

"I'll get this to the lab, and inform the Chief. I'll see what he found out from the footage on the security camera." Con said. "We've got to find Henry Jacobs ASAP." He added lastly.

(Oooo)

Later that afternoon, Phil was completely devastated. He and his family just learned the tragic news about Seth. He sniffed back tears. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. He went for a walk through the hospital courtyard to clear his head. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact his cousin was dead.

No. He shook his head. Seth was murdered! Phil took off his glasses and wiped tears from his eyes. Then anger began coursing through his body as Henry Jacobs came to his mind. He killed Seth. He was sure of it.

He put his glasses back on and balled his hand into fists. He thought heatedly. I hope he pays for what he did. He noted there were a few patients who were companied by a medical personal or family member walking around and getting some fresh air. Then suddenly Phil stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on someone.

Henry Jacobs was staring up at a window on the top floor of the hospital where Joe and Frank Hardy's room was located. He began recalling the conversation he had with his new friend while they were sitting in his car a moment ago...

" _I can help you take care of your problem." Bartend said directly to the boy sitting in his passenger seat._

"What makes you think I want your help?" Henry glared at him.

 _"Oh, believe me kid, you're going to need it." Bartend grabbed Henry by the front of his shirt, pulling him to his face. "Remember, I saw you murder that boy. So unless you want me to rat you out to the police. I suggest you shut up and do what I say."_

 _Henry kept his glare on him and pulled away from him. He straightens out his black and red Spiderman shirt Joe gave him. 'What do you want?"_

 _"I have something for you. It's going to make all your problems go away." Leaning over, The lawyer reached into the glove compartment and took out something wrapped in a white handkerchief. He hands it to Henry._

 _Henry takes it and slowly uncovers it revealing a gun. Mesmerized by the power he had in his hand, Henry began running a hand along the barrel of the weapon._

 _Bartend sneered in response._ This is exactly what he was hoping the kid would do. _That's right kid get your fingerprints all over the thing._

 _Then Henry picks up the gun and almost had his finger on the trigger, until Bartend grabbed it and pulled it down in his lap. "Whoa! Be careful with that thing it's loaded." Bartend quickly looked around to make sure the coast was clear._

 _"Damn it kid, didn't your father teach you anything?" Bartend snapped. He instructed. "Hurry up and tuck it in the waistband of your pants." Henry did as instructed and pulled his shirt out to hide the weapon._

 _"Now listen to me. You get yourself into that hospital, find Joe Hardy and kill him."_

 _That's what you think. Henry just looked at him. "And how am I supposed to get in there."_

 _"Figure it out. Just get in there and I'll take care of the rest. Oh and keep your trap shut about where you got that gun. Got it?"_

 _Henry turns away and looked out his window. Oh, yes he hated his father with a passion; however he did learn a few things from Jack, Which is to do whatever means necessary to get what you want. And thanks to this fool beside him he now has the power to defeat his enemy...Frank Hardy._ He quickly turned back to Barten _d and smiled politely. "_ Got it _." With that he opens the door and climbs out of the car..._ /

 _(Oooo)_

"Henry!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Henry turns his eyes from the window to see Phil Cohen coming towards him. "What the hell do you want?" He snarled narrowing his eyes at the teen.

Phil filled with anger as he stomped up to him. "You killed Seth didn't you?" He shoved Henry in the chest causing him to step back. 'Didn't you!?" Henry quickly regained his balance and threw a hand at his waist. He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice. No one was going to stand in his way of getting to Joe.

Silence and cold eyes was all Phil got from Henry.

"Answer me!"

"I had no choice. He was in my way. He knew too much." Henry finally answered. "I can't lose Joe. I won't. You want to blame someone for your cousin's death. Blame Frank. It's all his fault."

Phil stepped back a little stunned. Henry admitted it. He admitted he killed Seth. "How is that Frank's fault?"

"He hates Jack. He hates me. He doesn't want me to be friends with Joe. He thinks I'm crazy just like Jack. He has you all convinced that I am, and it's only a matter of time, before he turns Joe against me."

"Frank's going to take Joe away from me by filling his head with lies." Angry tears began seeping in Henry's eyes. "I have to talk to Joe and make him understand." his voice cracked, "He has to know I'm sorry for everything Jack did to him. And that I'm not like him. I'm not crazy...I'm not! Joe understands me. I know he does."

"Frank's just as much a victim of your father's abuse as you and Joe are. All he was trying to do was help you," Phil tried to make him see reason, "Until you started having this crazy obsession with Joe. I mean dyeing your hair blond and the whole superhero thing. Your constant need to be around Joe is not sitting well with Frank. He sees you as a threat to his brother and will defend him at all cost. That is why he has a problem with you."

"And let me tell you something about Joe." Phil retorted. "He's not stupid, Henry. He knows who his real friends are. Joe will _never_ be friends with a murderer." He had to **warn** Frank before its too late. "Especially, when he finds out you threatened his brother's life."

"Liar." Henry leaned closer to Phil, giving him an icy stare. "Frank's the enemy. He has to die." He pulled up his t-shirt. "And so do you."

Phil paled **;** his heart started beating out of his chest when Henry pulled a .38 revolver out from his waistband of his jeans. He couldn't think straight he knew he had to get away from Henry.

"I'm sorry...I didn't want to do this, but I have no choice. I can't lose Joe...I won't."

Without thinking, Phil grabs the barrel and the two began struggling with the gun. All at once Henry suddenly pulls Phil into a bear hug, the _sound was muffled, but Phil heard it. Then suddenly his whole body felt like it was on fire! He staggered backward and put_ his hands _on his stomach, He felt something wet on his shirt. He brought his hands up, they were red._ He began shaking, _Blood! It's blood. My blood Oh God! I've been shot!_

A sinister smile ran across Henry's face as he watched Phil Cohen collapse to the ground. Without a second thought, Henry steps over him leaves and rushes inside the hospital taking the stairs up on his way to Joe's room.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Nurse, What's this?" Joe turned his nose up at the food on his tray the nurse had placed in front of him.

"It's skinless chicken and steamed broccoli." She answered politely.

"I didn't order this. I wanted fried chicken and fries, not this, I hate broccoli."

"Your mother requested it, she said this was much healthier for you. " The young blond nurse smiled placing a small container of yogurt on their trays. "She wanted me to stay to make sure you took a bite."

"Figures." Joe mumbled. He should've known this little setup had Laura Hardy's name written all over it.

"Joe, just eat it." Frank replied from his bed. "It wouldn't kill you to eat a vegetable once in awhile."

Joe looked over at Frank's tray, he was given the same meal as he. He quickly noted his tray was half gone. Show off.

"Hey, I eat veggies. Tony puts onions and green peppers on my pizza."

Frank countered back. "You end up picking them off anyway."

'Whatever. I'm still not eating this." Joe pointed at the nasty green stuff on his tray.

"Would you rather they bring you a nice hot bowl of wallpaper paste?" Frank teased.

"Shut up." Joe shot back. "You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"Never." Frank laughed.

"You know Brother of mine, I do know something embarrassing about you."

Frank stopped laughing. "Like what?"

Joe gave him a mischievous smile. "Oh, something that would make Callie blush." He tapped a finger on his chin, "I think, I'll save it for your wedding day, when I give the best man speech."

"Like what?"

"Like the time you went skinny-dipping out at the Mortons' pond."

Frank blushed and glanced at the nurse. He looked at his brother strangely. "I never did that."

"Yes you did."

"When?"

"Uh last summer, I remember because it was real hot that day I think in the nineties or something. Chet invited the gang out to his place to go swimming. Callie was on vacation with her parents. Tony couldn't make it because he had to work at the restaurant."

"Biff dared one of us to jump in the water butt naked. Phil was there but he was to chicken to do it. And well you did. "Joe started laughing.

Frank blushed even redder and glanced at the nurse again whose face matched his. He thought about that a second. He didn't recall doing such a thing or he would ever.

"Uh Joe, that wasn't me."

Joe continued laughing. "Uh yes you did."

"Little brother, you seem to have a lapse in memory, because you left out someone."

"I did?"

"Yes, you."

"Anytime you and Biff are together, you goof around and dare each other to do something crazy. Biff dared you to jump bare naked in the water. You of course, couldn't resist the challenge."

"So therefore it was not me. It was all you."

Joe thought about that a second. "Oh yeah, that was me." Now it was his turn to blush and Frank burst out laughing. "Shut up." Joe remarked folding his arms across his chest. "I know you did something embarrassing."

"Whatever, Brother of mine." Frank regained his composer and reminded his brother. "You still have to take a bite of that," He nodded at the broccoli on Joe's tray, "or Mom's going to come in here an spoon feed it to you."

"Fine." Joe huffed. He stabbed a small piece of broccoli with his fork. He picked the piece up and took a bite. He began to chew slowly. Yuck! He glanced at the nurse who was watching him. "Mmmm good." He smiled at the nurse trying to look convincing.

"Swallow it Joe." Frank instructed. Shooting a glare at his brother Joe quickly took a drink of his juice to help swallow the disgusting veggie down. He opened his mouth and lifted up his tongue to show the nurse it was gone.

"Very good. I'll come back to get your trays." The nurse smiled and left the room.

Joe wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed his tray aside. He made a sour face. "Yuck! Callie better talk to Tony soon. If I don't get a Prito's special soon I'll starve in this place."

"Will you stop complaining for five minutes?" Frank replied stifling a laugh at his brother's antics.

"No."

"Well try."

"Sorry, Frank, I'm restless." Joe propped his leg back up onto one of the pillows. "I want to get out of this bed."

"And you will, once Dr. Bryce sets up physical therapy for your leg." Frank replied.

"I bet I can sweet talk that nurse into taking me out for a stroll in one of those wheelchairs."

"I thought you hated those things."

"As do you, but the nurse was hot, so I just might make an exception."

"Oh brother." Frank just rolled his eyes. Then he added, "I'll tell you what I'm tired of, this stupid gown." He pushed his tray aside and began to climb out of his bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Well I know Aunt Gertrude brought us extra clothes.' Frank went over to the closet and sure enough he found the bags she left for them. 'Yes! Just what I was hoping for," he pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants from his bag and slipped them on under his gown.

"Much better, hey, at least I have a little bit of dignity back."

Joe smiled. It did his heart good to see Frank was starting to act more like himself.

Frank sat back down on his bed. Joe's smile fade into a thin line as the familiar feeling came over him again, "Oh my God, it's back. I can feel it." Suddenly, Joe grabbed his chest and began gasping for breath. "Someone... is going to... die!"

"Joe stop, calm down." Frank threw a hand to his chest, he felt it too. What was happening!

All at once they heard an urgent call come over the intercom and several medical personal and took off running past their door. Then they heard an urgent call come over Officer Baker's radio and he took off running past their door in that same direction the medical staff had gone.

Curious, Frank quickly got up and stood in the door way to see what was going on.

"Frank, what is it?" Joe said breathlessly.

"I don't know." Frank frowned shaking his head. He could feel his chest starting to ache, he had to calm down, but he couldn't shake the feeling something bad was about to happen.

"Frank."

Hearing his name Frank immediately whirled around and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

Joe sat up quickly in his bed, all the movement causing the pain in his leg to hurt. He watched as his brother held his hands up and started slowly backing up into the room.

"Frank what's..." Joe's face paled as he had to do a double-take letting his eyes sweep over the sight in front of him. Henry Jacobs aiming a gun at his brother's head.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Snapping out if his thoughts, thinking quickly, "Henry, what are you doing? Put the gun down. Don't shoot my brother." Joe held out his hand and suggested slowly, "We can talk about this."

"Can't it's too late, he has to die." Henry spat, getting angrier by the second. His icy, stone-cold eyes were filled with pure hatred, all directed at Frank.

"No! Henry, please put the gun down." Joe pleaded. "Why are you doing this? I don't understand I thought we were friends."

"That's why I have to kill Frank. He doesn't want us to be friends. I have to stop him from spreading lies about me."

"What lies?" Frank spoke finding his voice. "I haven't told Joe anything. I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Shut up!" Henry spat keeping the gun trained on Frank. "He hates me because he hates Jack. He has convinced all your friends that I'm crazy just like him! I'm not crazy! I'm NOT!"

He looked at Frank. "You're not taking Joe away from me with all of your lies!"

"What lies!" Frank shouted, holding out his hands. "Okay Yes, it's true, I do hate Jack Hayden because he abused kids...including you, me, and my brother." He went on keeping his voice firm and steady as he locked eyes with Henry.

"I don't hate you Henry. In fact I tried to help you from the moment I found out the horrible things Hayden did to you. Then this crazy obsession you have with Joe come about changed all that."

Frank knew he was pushing the limit but he had to keep things calm. "You dyed your hair blond to look like Joe; the superhero drawing you did of him just creeps me out. Plus, there's your constant need to be around him. I mean, what the hell am I suppose to think? And there's the fact you did get violent with him. This isn't normal behavior Henry, you need professional help."

Henry shot back. "I was in the hospital...I was having a freaking panic attack after Jack beat the shit out of me. I did not mean to throw my tray at Joe. That was one time. It was an accident." He added letting it slip. "Just like, I didn't mean to break his porcelain horse."

"Porcelain horse?"

"Yeah, Chet told me you guys were in Berlin a year ago with your dad. Joe bought a white porcelain horse as a gift for Iola. He said Iola was his girlfriend."

Joe started thinking, "Iola's porcelain horse..." How did he know where to find...then it hit him. He gasped, "Uh, you went into her room."

Frank growled. "What were you doing in Iola's room? Her parents won't allow anyone to go in there; it's been that way since the day she'd died. We all respect the Morton family's wishes."

"Chet's mom told me I could go in there." Henry replied through clenched teeth as he began to get all defensive.

Frank replying in disbelief, "Chet's mother gave you permission to go in there?" He was surprised at hearing this, it didn't sound like something Donna Morton would do. Iola was a very sensitive topic for her.

"She did." Henry confessed. "She said that I was a part of her family, I needed to know about Iola. The poor woman wanted to adopt me. She's a very gullible woman at that, I talked her into taking me on a shopping spree she bought me everything I wanted, she told me she had a sixteen year old daughter who'd died a year ago. She didn't tell me how or why it happened."

Frank took a quick glance at Joe and his heart nearly gave out, Joe's face was pale and was staring off in a trance. "Henry shut up." He hissed. "You don't know how much this is hurting Joe."

But Henry kept going, "Chet told me Iola's death was a topic that was off limits. He forbid me to talk about it with Joe. He said Joe will confide in, you." He looked at Frank in disgust, "It should be me."

He ran an agitated hand through his blond hair, his eyes darkening at the elder Hardy boy. "I should've killed Chet and his pain in the ass father! If their hot daughter was alive I would've banged the hell out of her before I killed her. That whole family is stupid! They deserved to die, just like your friend Phil and his annoying cousin!"

"What?" Frank tightened the grip he had on his chest as another sharp pain shot through his heart. "You're lying!"

"Oh no, it's true." Henry replied coldly. "And now I'm going to kill you!"

 _"You little son of a bitch!"_ Enraged Frank immediately ran up to Henry, sending a roundhouse kick in a semicircular motion and knocking the gun out of his hand. Henry screamed, "Awww!" as the gun skidded across the room.

Then all at once Frank and Henry made a mad dash for the weapon. The two started wrestling violently with the gun, each with a look of fury on his face.

All of the sudden, a loud "BANG!" rang out into the room snapping Joe out of his trance. Then a dead silence filled the room.

Joe's eyes suddenly lands on the two forms laying beside each other on the floor.

"Awww!" Henry grabbed his arm as he screamed in pain as blood began to seep through between his fingers. "Joe... help me please..."

"Henry go to hell!" Joe shouted.

He scrambled out of the bed ignoring the pain in his leg and fell to the floor. "Oh my God Frank!" He crawled over to his brother lying on the ground breathing heavily, gun still in hand resting on his chest.

Joe knelt next to Frank, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. "Frank!" he cried.

Frank's eyes were opened but he couldn't speak he couldn't put into words what just happened.

"Frank! Frank! please answer me." He shook him, why wasn't he responding. "Somebody help us!" Joe screamed.

Suddenly, Officer Riley and Fenton entered the room, running at full speed.

"Joe we heard..." Fenton's heart dropped when he saw Frank lying on the floor with a gun in his hand.

"Frank, no! We need a doctor in here!" Fenton sank to his knees besides Joe.

Just then Dr. Bryce came running in at top speed.

The doctor moved past the two and knelt next to Frank placing two fingers under Frank's neck, he replied, "His pulse rapid, His breathing heavily."

Dr. Bryce pried the gun from Frank's hand and gives it to Con. He ran a hand along the elder Hardy boy's body checking for bullet wounds. "Nothing, there doesn't appear to be any bullet wounds on him."

Slowly, Joe and Fenton both let out the fearful breaths they were holding.

Fenton and Joe turned to Officer Riley, who was kneeling next to Henry. The officer stepped back to let the doctor tend to the boy.

Awwww!" Henry grabbed his arm as he screamed in pain as blood began to seep through between his fingers. "Joe... help me, please..."

The doctor said, "You're going to need surgery to repair the wound in your arm. I need a gurney in here!" Instantly, the medical personal began pouring into the room as the doctor began to give out his orders.

Henry was placed on a gurney as medical personnel began to taking him out of the room. He continued to cry out in pain, "Wait... awww! I have to talk to Joe...have to tell him... I'm sorry...I didn't mean it...awww!" He grunted in pain. "Please don't leave me! I didn't mean it...It's Frank he's lying...please you have to believe me... It's Frank's fault!"

Anger ignited in Joe's blue eyes. It was as if someone had flipped a switch inside of him; all at once Joe jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg he wobbled up and over to Henry holding onto the gurney for support.

"I _was_ your friend until you tried to _kill_ my brother!" he seethed in anger.

"I had no choice." Henry pleaded, "Frank was going to take you away from me because of all his lies! You're the only friend I've got...if you leave me then I have no one. Please, please, I did it all for you. " he grunted painfully, "you have to believe me...It's Frank's fault!

Releasing his anger, Joe began puffing up his chest as his breathing got heavy and ragged. "You're the one who's lying! You were the one who said you were in Iola's room! I knew nothing of that. I was kidnapped by the people associated with your father!"

"Frank never lies to me! He always tells me the truth even when I don't want to hear it. He's right you need professional help. And I hope you get it. And, what the hell you taking advantage of the Mortons like that! Don't you ever mention Iola's name around me ever again. They're good people they don't deserve being treated like that!"

"And let's get something straight there is NOTHING that would ever make me hate or betray my brother. Frank means everything to me, he's my best friend...my brother. You tried to kill him!"

"I'm done with you! If you ever cross our paths with us again, you better turn around and walk away, or you'll regret it." Joe looked at the medical staff with angry tears, through clinched teeth. "Get him out of here!" As painful as it was Joe turned his back on his former friend.

"No! No! Joe...I'm sorry! Please don't leave me!" Henry screamed as medical personnel were taking him out of the room, "Joe! Joe!"

Con said to Dr. Bryce. "Please give us an update on how Henry Jacobs is doing. Because he's in police custody once he's out of surgery."

"Will do officer."

Ignoring Henry's screams Joe blinked back tears and knelt back down to his brother. He pushed Henry out of his head Frank was more important.

His eyes were open but Frank still hasn't said anything. "Why isn't my brother talking?" Joe asked worriedly.

"I think he's in shock." The doctor answered. "Frank talk to us. Let us know what's going on."

"Frank." Fenton shook his shoulder, hoping for a response. He shook him again and still no response. "Its as if he's shut his mind down".

"So do something, Dr. Bryce," Joe demanded. "fix my brother!"

"Joe it may not be simple..."

"Fix him!"

"Joe." Fenton reprimanded him. He too was worried out of his mind, but he had to remain In control for his sons' sake.

"Dr. Bryce, do something please." Joe pleaded teary-eyed.

Dr. Bryce thought quickly. "Talk to him Joe. Hopefully he'll respond to you."

"Frank, say something please..." Joe said calmly, making sure his voice didn't betray the panic he felt. "I'm scared...don't leave me..," Joe's voice cracked. "Please don't leave. We need you-" Tears began to run down his face as his chin trembled. "-I need you big brother."

"Joe?" Frank blinked his eyes. He began to sit up slowly with Fenton and the doctor's help. Fenton could feel his son's body shaking like a leaf.

"Frank... I'm so sorry...you were right about Henry. I thought he was going to kill you.." Joe said, carefully wrapping into his arms around his brother.

Frank just held his little brother. "Shh... It's okay," he murmured, feeling hot tears running down his face. All at once he grabbed his chest as pain shot through it.

"Oh no!" Joe gasped his eyes widen as he thought Frank's heart!

"Frank let's get you up on the bed and get you checked out." Dr. Bryce suggested.

They helped Frank to his feet. But he pulled away from them. "No. I have to know something first."

"Where is Phil? I need to see him." He grunted in pain. "Henry said he killed him and his cousin. I know that little jerk is lying. "

A smothering silence began to build as the boys waited for the men to answer. Fenton spoke first he took a deep breath and said, "Phil's cousin Seth was found dead early this morning."

"What?" The boys gasped in shock. They couldn't believe what they had heard.

"Oh my God, Phil," Frank said breathlessly thinking of his friend. "He must be devastated. I have to go see him."

"Frank."

Frank saw the hesitation in his father's eyes. He saw Con and Dr. Bryce exchanged looks with each other. He had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like what they had to say.

"Dad, whatever it is just spit it out."

Fenton took another deep breath. This was the second hardest thing he ever had to tell his sons. He had to tell them, they deserve to know. "Phil was found on the ground in the courtyard of the hospital. He'd been shot."

"Oh my God, how bad is it?" Frank paled as he looked at Dr. Bryce.

The doctor explained. "He was shot in the abdomen; he lost a lot of blood. I'm sorry Frank, Joe; we did all we could for him..."

Then Frank's heart dropped as the doctor said next, "Your friend Phil died ten minutes ago."

 ** _***Okay everyone breathe, I know you all are in shock right now. Believe me, I felt the same way. Please forgive me. This was the hardest chapter I've ever written, because I know besides the Hardy boys everyone has a favorite character,_ just know I didn't kill Phil off for the sake of killing him off, it's setting things in motion for the sequel. I did mention in a previous chapter that there would be _three major deaths the first was Seth, and now Phil, I've been agonizing over this, he actually wasn't my first choice, but as the advice I was given sometimes a writer has to take risked and so I took a risk and went with Phil. But I promise Frank and Joe will be determined to get justice for Phil._**

 ** _If you choose not to read this story any further I'll understand and I thank you. Just know if you continue reading this is what's going on with the story. There will be a third death and I promise you it's not a Hardy or another Hardy friend. Again it's all setting things in motion for the sequel. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks Erin :)_**


	28. Chapter 28

HI, Thank you to those who've left me wonderful reviews for my last chapters, and also for your support I know Phil's death was a big shock to everyone as I've said before its all setting things up for the next story, and Phil and Seth's death has a purpose, it will give Frank and Joe the drive to get justice them. And I also want to thank those who are following, favorites, or just reading. And a big thank you to my beta reader you are awesome:)

I'm giving you a heads up the topic of death, depression and mention of suicide is in this chapter  the boys are finding more about Seth and Phil and more. please let me know what you think

Aftermath chapter 28

 _The doctor explained. "He was shot in the abdomen; he lost a lot of blood. I'm sorry Frank, Joe; we did all we could for him..."_

 _Then Frank's heart dropped as the doctor said next, "Your friend Phil died ten minutes ago."_

Frank saw his father, Con, and Dr. Bryce looking at him with sorrow on their faces. "No. There must be a mistake. It can't be him." He shook his head, dashing the angry tears away. "Phil's going to MIT, he's majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. H-he wants to start his own software company. He's already working on something...Phil can't be dead."

"He can't be dead. " Frank repeated under his breath. He hoped Henry burned in hell for this.

"Son," Fenton took a step forward. He could see his eldest son was on the verge of falling apart. He wrapped an arm around Frank and pulled him close. "I am so sorry..."

"No, Dad don't do that!" Frank cried, pulling away from his father. "It won't bring Phil back!" He angrily wiped the tears away.

He took a step back from them and went over to the window. He looked at the traffic down below at each vehicle that pass by in either direction. Forcing himself from succumbing to the one emotion he hated to do, cry. He could feel an ache in his chest, at the moment he didn't care. He was hurting for the loss of his friend.

He couldn't imagine what life would be like without Phil Cohen.

"I can't believe this." Joe whispered. He rubbed at the pain in his chest that wouldn't stop. He too was hurting for the loss of his friend. Even though Phil was a year older then him Joe had always thought of Phil as a really good loyal friend. He did have a bit of a shy and conservative side at times. However, when you really got to know him he could let loose, joke around and have fun. And just be one of the guys.

Phil had been Frank's best friend since the first grade. They both shared the same interests when it came to academics, computers and other technology.

Joe knew Phil had a hand in helping Frank come up with the idea of building a tiny compartment in one of his shoes to conceal a lock pick. They knew of his fear of being trapped in a room with no way out. It was a secret the three of them shared, although he suspected Fenton knew, but never let on as if he did.

Joe had used that tiny tool many times when he fell victim to their father's enemies. In fact, it was not more then three days ago when he managed to pick the lock of the room of the cabin where he was held captive. Joe began to tear up thinking proudly of his friend. Thank you Phil.

He wished the pain in his heart would go away. Then it suddenly dawned on him as to why it wouldn't go away. He knew that pain all too well, he experienced it when Iola had died.

Quickly glancing up at his brother, he saw the devastation on his face. oh my god! He didn't want Frank to go through this pain. Joe feared if something bad ever happened to Callie Frank would fall apart, but he never fathomed the idea it would be Phil. But, he guessed it didn't matter whether it was a loss love or a close friend, the pain was the same. Joe knew one thing for sure, however: things would never be the same again.

It hurt Fenton's heart to see his sons so devastated. He wished he could shield them from the pain of losing their good friend. He wanted so much to wrap his arms around Frank to comfort him, but he knew he would just push him away.

No, he told himself. It had to be on Frank's terms he had to be patient and let Frank come to him.

Fenton felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up it was Con. "Fenton, don't worry about the case right now. You just be with your boys. I'll handle things from here. I'll go inform the Chief of whats going on and, run a trace on the gun."

The officer looked at Frank and Joe. He felt bad for what they were going through. The loss of Phil Cohen was a huge shock to everyone.

"Thank you Con." Fenton replied gratefully. He couldn't leave the boys with them like this. "Just let me know when Henry is out of surgery, I do want to be there when he's ready for questioning." He stated grimly. Con nodded and left the room.

Joe needed to get up and go to his brother. "Frank..." He said, started to get up off the floor when pain shot through his leg. With all the commotion going on surrounding Henry he forgotten about his wounded leg. He fell back down grabbing his leg and gasping in pain loudly enough to distract everyone.

Hearing his youngest cry out, Fenton quickly turned to him. "Joe." he gasped, he saw blood seeping through the white bandage on his left leg. Dr. Bryce knelt next to Joe. He peeled back the bandage to look at the wound.

"You've ripped out your stitches." He placed the bandage back on the wound. "I need a wheelchair in here!" Instantly, an orderly brought a wheelchair into the room.

Hearing Joe's cry Frank snapped out of his thoughts. He turned around just as an orderly was helping Joe into a wheelchair. "Where are you going with him?" He demanded, stopping them in their tracks. He immediately went over and stood in the doorway to prevent him from taking Joe out of the room.

"Frank, take it easy." Dr. Bryce replied calmly. "We need to go repair Joe's stitches. See look at his leg." He pointed to the blood seeping through the bandage. "It won't take long, He'll be back here as soon as he is finished. I promise."

"In the meantime, why don't you go lay down." He suggested. "You've had a major shock, it can't be good for your heart."

"You're not taking Joe out of this room." Frank balled his hands into fists.

Joe reached out and touched Frank's arm. "Frank, it's okay." He winced in pain. "I'll be back. Please go rest."

"Frank, come on step aside." Fenton said seeing his son wasn't going to comply. He had no choice but to physically pull Frank aside, so they could tend to Joe's wound.

"Fine," Frank said testily. He glanced at his brother's leg and looked at Dr. Bryce. "You better bring him back." He pulled away from Fenton. He went and laid down on his bed without making a fuss closing his eyes to shut the world out.

Fenton did not like where this was going, it was becoming all to familiar to him. He could see Frank was going to have a rough time coping with Phil's death. He was going to push his grief aside and put all his attention on his brother. He's going to be more protective of Joe then ever.

"Will you see if Dr. Reese will stop by? I think we're going to need her help." Fenton suggested to Dr. Bryce.

The doctor nodded. "I think you're right."

(OOOO)

Once they were alone, Fenton pulled a chair up next to Frank's bed and sat down. He took a deep breath to keep his own emotions at bay.

"Frank..."

"Don't try to comfort me." Frank slowly opened his eyes and looked at his father, "I don't want to hear 'everything's going to be alright', or ',hang in there you're going to get through it', Those words are meaningless."

Pushing back the hurt, Fenton felt for Frank not allowing him to comfort him. Frank was not going to make this easy. He was already starting to put up a wall refusing to let anyone see his emotions. He reminded himself again to be patient and let Frank come to him.

"Alright," Fenton reached out and touched Frank's arm. "Get some rest. Joe will be back soon."

Frank glanced down at the hand on his arm. He knew his father was trying to offer some comfort. He caught the hurt look in his eyes and felt guilty for pushing him away. He wanted so much to have his father's arms wrapped around him and have one big cry, but he couldn't, he had to be a man about this, he had to stay in control.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you, it's just I can't right now. Every time I turn around things go from bad to worse." He said, starting to choke up making it even harder to talk.

"When Joe went missing for three days...I thought he was dead...I was starting to come to terms with it, but he's here...alive. And everything's good again. But now I find out Phil, one of my closest friends has died...and everything is back to bad."

Frank began rubbing his chest. "I feel like I'm stuck in this dark hole that gets deeper and deeper." He looked at the older version of himself looking back at him with tired and worried eyes, "Am I always going to feel like this?"

Relieved Frank didn't push him away this time, Fenton gave his son's arm a light squeeze as he fought back the emotions that were begging to be released. "I do understand what you're going through." He cleared his throat. "I can tell you it's not going to get easy. Depression isn't something you can just get over, like the flu, for some people it can be a short term or long term battle. If you're not careful it can take your life. It took your grandfather's life. I stood in it too, but I never took a step towards the edge."

'You're talking about suicide, aren't you?" Frank questioned his father.

Before Fenton could answer that, the same orderly came in pushing Joe in a wheelchair. "Here he is all patched up, safe and sound." The orderly helped ease Joe back into his bed. Frank was relieved his little brother was back.

"Dr. Bryce had to go make a few rounds. But he said Dr. Reese will be here in as soon as she can." The orderly said to Fenton once he got Joe settled.

"Thank you."

As soon as the orderly left Fenton went over to his youngest and gave him a quick hug. "How are you feeling?" He held back his tears, now was not the time to cry.

"My leg hurts, other then that, I guess I can't complain considering I'm here, alive, and Phil's not." Joe replied bitterly. "What's going on here?" He saw the distraught look on his brother and father's faces and realized he'd just interrupted something.

Clearing his throat, Frank finally answered. "We were talking about Phil, trying to make since of all this."

"Oh."

"The subject of depression and suicide came up." Fenton look from one son to the other. He rubbed a hand over his face. "I was going to wait and talk to you two when we got home, but maybe now is a good time."

"Do we have to talk about this now?" Joe complained scrunching up his nose.

"Yes, now."

"Talk about what? How you lied to us all these years about Granddad's death?" Joe said heatedly. "How you left out the part about him being mentally ill! Maybe we don't want to hear anymore of your lies!"

He didn't know why he was being confrontational with his father all of a sudden. His emotions are all over the place. He was still angry with Henry for almost killing his brother and for taking Phil's life. Henry committed the ultimate betrayal in their friendship. He just didn't want to be hurt and lied to anymore.

"Joe, shut up and calm down." Frank suddenly grabbed at his chest.

Fenton took a deep breath, then counted to ten to cool his temper. He cleared his throat before addressing his short tempered son. "Joe, I understand that you're hurt and angry, because of Phil. You have every right to feel that way."

He took another deep breath, than added, "However, that does not give you the right to be disrespectful to me. Do I make myself clear?"

Joe looked down at his hands in shame. "Yes."

"Yes, What?"

"Yes Sir," Joe responded, letting out a heavy sigh, "Okay, Dad, I'm sorry. But, do we really have to talk about this." He adjusted the pillow under his leg.

"This talk is long over due. Your brother had asked me a question and I'm going to give him an answer." Fenton said looking at Frank before turning back to Joe. "This concerns you too, Joe, so yes we're talking about this."

He took a short pause so he could talk calmly. "Now as I said before, your grandmother, aunt and I made up the story because we didn't want people to know he was mentally ill. For a long time, we kind of suspected that something wasn't quite right with him mentally, although depression wasn't ever talked about. His moods would change frequently; his emotions were all over the place."

"S-so what happened?" Joe looked back at his father. "What made Granddad do what he did?"

"You both knew he was a police officer." The boys nodded.

Fenton took another breath he began to explain. This was hard but he had to do it. "We all just thought the job was getting to him. Things began to progress quickly though, once his partner was killed in the line of duty."

"Your grandfather took his death pretty hard; he blamed himself for the whole thing. They were more than just partners; they were best friends, almost brothers; just like Sam is my best friend and brother. Just like you boys are..." He trailed off for a second as tears began to form in his eyes. "One day he couldn't take it anymore and he shot himself in the head with his gun."

"And you saw him do this?" Joe questioned.

"I did."

"So you've dealt with depression?" He was trying hard to understand this.

"I did, and still do."

Joe shook his head. "How can you tell? I've never seen you act depressed or show signs."

"That's because I've had years of practice of hiding my emotions and pushed people away to hide the hurt."

"You kept this to yourself this whole time. You were just a teenager, Dad, I am so sorry you had to go through all that."

Fenton nodded. "Now I have a really good support system, your mother is the reason I'm here today. Every time I feel myself sliding back into that dark place...I think of my family and how much I love you, and know that I am loved. Everything's alright again."

"Frank, say something please. Let us know what you're thinking." Fenton sniffed back a sob. He realized Frank had been silent. He had his head down lost in thought he was afraid his son was shutting down on them.

Frank cleared his throat as he glanced up at Joe then his father, blinking back tears of his own. He finally spoke, "Suicide, you think that could happen to us? You think because Joe and I have a close bond that if it breaks or something happens to one of us, that the other one would reach the point of suicide?"

"No, it won't come to that," His father reassured him quickly. "It was pointed out to me by your aunt; things are a lot different now than what they were like when we were your age."

"Frank, I know the loss of Phil is painful. And I'm sorry you're going through this. That is why it's so important for you, the both of you to open up about you're feelings. It doesn't matter what it is, if you're angry then get angry, if you want to cry, then do it. Don't bottle it up until you're ready to explode. It is not healthy."

Fenton added hoping his words would sink in, "Your mother and I will do whatever it takes to make sure you boys get the help you need."

He could see his eldest son was on the verge of breaking down. He went over to him and put his arms around him. "That is a promise." Frank accepted his father's hug with opened arms, but he refused to breakdown. Crying was not a option.

Frank let go of his father and just nodded. Fenton felt it was progress that his son allowed him to hold him, but he was still troubled that Frank was holding back his tears.

Joe fought back tears of his own. If Frank wasn't going to cry, then he wasn't going to either. "Dad, we would never take our own lives."

"Well I hope that is true." Fenton replied. He went over and gave him a hug. In truth, he needed that as much as they did. "However, there have been times when I began to wonder given how close you two are, the extremes you go to be with each other."

"Can we move on to something else now?" Frank broke in quickly.

The abrupt change in conversation right there gave Fenton a reason to be concerned. He knew one thing for sure his son was in the fight of his life.

"Okay." Fenton agreed, he decided not to push any farther. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to know why Henry murdered Phil. How in God's name did this happen?" Frank began heatedly.

He was trying hard to understand. He wanted to know what happened, he wanted to do everything he could to keep himself from falling apart. He couldn't cry now, not now, not when he needed answers, he wanted to know why his friend died. And he wouldn't stop until he got his answers.

"How did Henry get his hands on a gun? He was ready to kill me, Why?" He ran a hand through his hair as he continued to rant. "I realize Joe and I've been out of the picture for a little while, but I get a feeling there's a lot we've missed."

"And Seth... how the hell did Seth get caught up in this mess? We haven't even gotten the chance to meet him yet."

Joe cut in with, "Henry mentioned something about breaking Iola's porcelain horse that I gave her. Why was he in her room? Are Chet and his parents okay? Did he hurt them too?"

Then a disturbing thought entered Joe's head. He exchanged looks with Frank he must be thinking it too.

"Has Henry been targeting our friends? Tony, Biff, Chet, oh my god Callie!" Frank's eyes widen, "She was in here yesterday acting different, I had a feeling something was going on but didn't know why." Frank concluded he was almost sure of it. "That's it isn't it. That's why he killed Phil. To get back at me."

" it's a possibility. Perhaps your friends can answer that." Fenton let out a sigh and began again. " I do know Callie told your mother Seth Cohen wanted to help you boys."

"Seth wanted to help us, but why?" Frank didn't understand this.

"I can answer that." Callie said coming into the room. She was all teary-eyed, "Seth heard some amazing stories about you two through P-Phil." She choked up just saying his name. She couldn't believe he was gone. "He really wanted to meet you."

She went right over and gave Frank a hug. "We're sorry to intrude like this, but we just saw Seth and Phil's parents out in the waiting room. They told us the horrible news it's so devastating."

"We?" Frank asked letting Callie go. Callie wiped her tears away.

"That would be us." Tony said, entering the room with Chet and Biff each with sadness on their faces.

Frank's heart broke expecting to see Phil walk in with them. It was all becoming too real Phil Cohen was gone. Again he fought back the urge to cry.

"Please, guys tell us what's been going on." Frank urged them to talk. "Why did Seth want to help us?"

Tony leaned up against the wall. He spoke first. "Seth was there with us at Chet's when Joe went missing and he saw how upset you were Frank during the whole thing. And he was in the waiting room with us yesterday, when Callie told us about your heart condition and depression."

"Phil had asked me if it was okay to invite Seth to the welcome home party for Henry." Chet began his part. "He told Seth about Henry's dyslexia because he had it too, and thought he could help him. That's why Seth came here in the first place to help Henry."

Chet's words chilled Fenton to the bone. To think of the person you came to help, would ended up being the person who takes your life.

Chet continues on sadly. "Seth was real nice guy. Even though, we've only met him for a short time it felt like you knew him forever. It's shame this happened to him."

"And now Phil, Oh my god!" Biff cursed balling his hands into fists. He couldn't hold back his anger. "Phil had warned Seth not to go after Henry. He was afraid the crazy lunatic would do something to him."

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

Tony picked up the rest of the story. "Henry was also in the waiting room with us. He was very adamant about seeing you Joe. That's what all he had on his mind to see you. He wanted to talk to you make you understand he was not like his father. We told him we had to be patient and wait and let your family spend time with you."

"His behavior just changed right there in front of us. We all gave him reasons why he couldn't see you, then he got angry with every reason we gave him. He accused us of lying and that it was Frank's fault for turning us against him. It was only a matter of time before you had Joe against him too."

Tony added candidly. "Henry wasn't shy about letting us know about how much he hated you, Frank. He didn't care if you died." He looked at the older Hardy boy. "He believes Joe is the only friend he has. And no one was going to take him away from him."

"Then Henry got into a fight with his mother in the waiting room. Everyone heard him yelling at her. Telling her how much he hates her. She was dead to him. He's got a new mother now."

"Yeah, my mother!" Chet said hotly he stabbed a finger to his chest.

"That little jerk took advantage of her, treated my dad and me like crap. I was done with him after I found him in my sister's room. And yet my mom defended him, she chose him over me, her own son."

"Mom was ready to welcome him into our family and adopt him, Dad was against it." He said in tears, "I spent the night at Biff's because I didn't want to go home." He added hurt riddled in his voice. "I did talk to my Dad this morning he said they ended up getting into a huge fight over Henry."

"Can you believe it?" He stabbed his chest repeatedly, "My parents fighting, it was so bad mother left us."

"What!" Everyone said in unison.

"Your mother left?" Fenton was taken back by this.

Chet felt all eyes on him. He nodded, "She's staying with her sister, my Aunt Kate until she figures things out."

"I'm so sorry Chet." Frank was just shocked and angry of the aftermath of hurt Henry had caused everyone.

"Thanks." Chet cleared his throat. Biff put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "My parents will work things out, I know they will. They just need time, my mom's still dealing with the loss of Iola."

"Okay, can we get back to Seth and Phil?" Chet asked to get the attention off of him.

"Okay," Tony picked up where he left off. "After the fight with his mother Henry took off running out of the waiting room. We were afraid Henry would find away to come back to see Joe."

"So Biff, Chet, Callie, and... P-Phil." his voice suddenly heavy with emotion. It was hard to say his friend's name without crying, he managed to choke out," We all thought it was best that he didn't, so we decided we had to protect you both. Biff suggested we talk to your parents to try to get Henry restricted from the visitors list."

Biff nodded in agreement. "I mean Callie just told us what's going on with you guys and you didn't need Henry add to your stress."

Biff concluded the rest of the story. "Seth he was a pretty cool guy. Chet's right when he said it felt like you knew him your whole life. He didn't have to do what he did. But he wanted to do something to help you guys."

He paused for a second, "It was Seth's idea to go looking for Henry to talk to him about his learning disability, and to try to distract him and keep him away from Joe so that it wouldn't stress Frank out."

"Phil told Seth not to go after Henry. But Seth insisted that he'd be okay. Phil told him to run away if Henry tried anything."

Callie began to choke up, "He was so afraid Henry would hurt him...Then Seth went missing, and we spent most of the night trying to help Phil look for Seth." Callie wiped her tears away. "We were so sure Henry had done something dreadful to Seth and would do the same to Frank."

"And now we find out Seth and Phil are both gone." Again Callie wiped her tears away. "I told your mother about Seth looking for Henry, I told her everything he's done. Maybe if we had said something sooner they would still be here. All we were trying to do was protect you guys."

"God I can't believe Phil's gone." Biff shook his head. "It's not right!"

Joe couldn't believe he trusted Henry. It made him angry at hearing all the despicable things he did to his friends. Henry really turned out to be just like his father. He was another Hayden, abusive, manipulative and cunning psycho. If he ever came face to face with either of them again, they'd feel his wrath.

"Henry almost succeeded in his goal, he almost killed Frank." his friends looked at him in shock.

Callie moved closer to Frank put her hand in his as Joe quickly explain to them about Henry coming in here pointing a gun at Frank.

"He was ready to kill him, if Frank hadn't stopped him. I trusted him, I thought Henry was my friend, I tried to help him and he betrayed me. He hurt everyone I care about, all because of me... I just want to tear him apart!"

"I'm sorry, guys, I'm so sorry." He wiped his angry tears away. Fenton went over to comfort him.

Frank looked around the room at his friends and beautiful girlfriend. He was, once again astounded by their loyalty. Even after they were hurt by Henry, they still took it upon themselves to try to protect him and Joe. And knowing Phil was a part of it he couldn't find the words.

And, Seth Cohen, a kid whom he's never met took it upon himself to distract Henry and keep him away from Joe so that it wouldn't stress him out. He didn't have to do what he did. He wanted to do something to help them, and ended up loosing his life.

Frank didn't know how but he was going to make it up to all of them, Biff, Tony, Chet, Callie. He vowed to get justice for Phil and Seth. When you become friends with the Hardy Boys, you're a friend for life. It was a guarantee.


	29. Chapter 29

Hi, thank you everyone who left me wonderful reviews on my last chapter, and thank you to those who favorites, follow, or just reading you are awesome. And a big thank you to my beta reader for your help with my story. sorry for taking long to update, but here it is my new chapter hope you like it. please let me hear your thoughts thanks again :)

Aftermath chapter 29

Earlier that Monday afternoon:

Daniel Bartend was sitting nervously in his car about a block away from the hospital courtyard. Moments ago, he had witnessed Henry Jacobs getting into a fight with another boy. The fight ended with the two struggling with the gun, then all at once he saw Henry pull the boy close to him. Then he saw the boy stagger backward with his hands on his stomach and collapse to the ground.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Henry literally step over the boy and took off running inside the hospital, without even a second thought.

"Damn," He cursed under his breath, "The kid really is his father's son." Hayden's threat echoed in his head again. ' _It's either you kill Joe Hardy or I kill_ _you"_

Seconds later, he watched as paramedics tend to the boy on the ground. As Chief Collig and his officers work vigorously investigating the crime scene.

"Well, there's no turning back now." He huffed.

Then suddenly his passenger door opened and a woman with long blonde hair climbed in. she was wearing sunglasses and a nurse's scrubs and a large hand bag over her shoulder.

Bartend jumped, "What the hell..."

"It's me, jackass." The woman hissed, while closing the door. She pulled off her blonde wig revealing her short dark hair. She began combing her hair with her fingers.

'Damn it Carolyn. Don't sneak up on a person like that." Daniel remarked quickly regaining his composure once he finally recognized the woman beside him.

"Ryan's not here too, is he?" He began looking around for the youngest Hayden brother. He really didn't want to cross paths with him at the moment.

"Ryan's not stupid." She replied. "He knows not to stick his neck out. However, he is hiding nearby, waiting to see how this is going to turn out." Carolyn took off her sunglasses letting her dark eyes glare at him. "I don't even know why I'm here. I should be hiding out too; instead, I'm here risking everything for this damn plan of yours."

"Carolyn, trust me."

"Ha! Trust you, hell no." She laughed dryly. "If you hadn't mucked up Jack's plan in the first place we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"Hey! You're just as to blame for this shit as I am!" Bartend argued.

Carolyn threatened him. "I've already killed two men." She held up two fingers, "and won't hesitate to do it again. So unless you want to be number three, I'd suggest you shut up."

Ignoring her threat, Bartend replied evenly. He pointed his finger. "Look over there."

Carolyn followed Bartend's finger in the direction he was pointing. She saw several medical personnel and police officers swarming around a boy on the ground.

"Oh, how tragic." She said pretending to care.

"Henry did that."

"Henry, Jack's kid?"

"Yes, that Henry. He's doing the job for me. Actually, he's doing a lot better then what I'd originally planned."

"Is that Joe Hardy on the ground?"

"No, it's another kid."

Carolyn tore her eyes away from the scene. "You know, Jack may not be happy, you're using his kid to do the job that he had ordered you to do." She smiled smugly at the lawyer.

Bartend swallowed a lump in his throat having to face his client. "Jack should be proud of his son. Or better yet, I think the kid surpassed him in the insanity department."

"What?"

"Henry ran inside the hospital to find the Hardy kid. However at this point it doesn't matter if he kills him." He continues on and looks at the lifeless boy on the ground. "Henry murdered another boy last night."

"How do you know?"

"Never mind that." Bartend shook his head, "My point is, thanks to the actions of Jack's little demon spawn, it could work in our favor for the trial, because the judge will most likely declare a mistrial. In other words," He smiled he puffed up his chest with pride, "I'm going to win this case and Jack Hayden will be a free man."

"We still have work to do. This is where you come in Karen, I need you to find out what's going on inside."

"Call me Karen again," Carolyn spat. She pulled out a syringe from her bag and held it to his chest, "and I'll make your heart stop just like that." She snapped her fingers at him. "It's Carolyn or Nurse Matthews to you."

"Whoa! Take it easy," Bartend grabbed her hand and pushed the syringe away from his chest. "Crazy must run in the whole family. "

Bartend quickly looked around to make sure the coast was clear. "I don't give a shit what you call yourself; just get your ass into that hospital, and find out what's going on."

Keeping her glare on the lawyer, Carolyn jerked her hand from his grip. "You don't get it, Joe Hardy still has to die."

"Why?" Bartend demanded.

He was already fed up with these crazy people for getting him mixed up in their mess, and he was tired of them keeping secrets from him. "I talked to Jack yesterday at the police station. I had to deliver a message to him from Ryan, it was s _omething about Cindy telling Joe Hardy something that had to do with your past_. Jack wouldn't tell me what that meant, however, I need to know if it's going to cost us this trial."

"Cindy told Joe Hardy we murdered our parents seventeen years ago," Carolyn confessed as Bartend threw her a shocked look. "It was something that had to be done. Our parents deserved what they got." She added coldly.

"So yes, if this gets out it could cost us this trial. It'll take some work to get to Cindy since she's in police custody," She rolled her eyes thinking of her so called friend. "She won't hold out for long because she's weak. If they questioned her she'll rat us out and tell them everything, including Jack's plan to kidnap Joe Hardy out at that farm."

"She also knows you were the one who shot him. So this plan of yours had better work."

Again Bartend swallowed a lump in his throat. He managed to say. "It will."

"It better," She added giving him a stony look. "If anything goes wrong this time not only will you have to face Jack's wrath, you'll be facing Ryan as well."

She opened up her bag and tossed the syringe inside then she began putting the blonde wig back on. She tucked her dark hair underneath it when she was done she put on sunglasses.

"See you inside." Lastly she clipped a badge to her uniform top and climbed out of the car and headed to the hospital.

(OOOO)

Callie, Biff, Chet and Tony had left to grab some lunch and to go be with their families. They all promised to come back later. Frank and Joe thanked them again before they left for what they did in trying to protect them from Henry.

Fenton was looking out the hospital window room. He was still processing everything Frank and Joe's friends had revealed of the hellish things Henry had done. The tragic deaths of Seth and Phil had added to his stress level.

There was a lot of things he needed to talk to his boys about regarding the case. How could he when they're still grieving. It was going to take all his strength to help support Frank through his battle with depression. And Joe's battle with PTSD and anxiety issues. It was becoming too much. Fenton had to remind himself to be careful and not fall into the trap of depression himself.

Joe shifted in his bed trying to get in a comfortable position he was itching to get out of this bed. Finally, he got settled there was still something troubling him.

"Dad, I have a question." Joe asked interrupting his thoughts, Fenton rubbed his tired eyes. He really needed to rest but he had to force himself to keep going, he couldn't stop now.

He took a deep breath and turned around to give Joe his full attention. "Go ahead."

"I was just wondering, how did Seth die? Did he get shot too?"

"No." Fenton answered vaguely.

"Then how'd he die?"

Fenton hesitated to answer. He really wasn't sure giving them the details of the boy's death was a good idea. After all it was a little more gruesome then Phil's death, just thinking about it made his stomach churn.

"Why don't we discuss this later. You two have had a shock and could use a break." Truthfully, he needed a break as well to clear his head. "Besides that I need to go find your mother and then go pay my respects to the Cohen family." He glanced at his watch it was going on two in the afternoon.

Frank and Joe glanced at each other. Why was their father stalling?

"Dad," Frank urged him. "You know we won't be able to rest until we know. Please tell us."

There was no way he was going to rest, he had to keep his mind focused on the case. He had to keep himself from breaking down. He owed his life to Phil and Seth and he wasn't going to let them down.

Joe nodded in agreement.

True, Fenton knew his sons pretty well enough to know, that if they didn't get their answers, they'd go get the answers themselves.

"Fair enough." He reluctantly agreed. He sat back down in his chair. "Brace yourselves for what I'm about to tell you is not pretty."

Frank and Joe's faces paled as their father began telling them the grisly details of how Seth died. After he'd finished the boys were left feeling sick and angry of how that poor kid had died in such a brutal manner. Frank was more determined than ever to make sure Henry pay for his crimes.

"We do have a witness who saw Henry beating up Seth." Fenton brought up. "Before he could stop it, he was attacked himself."

"Who is it?" Frank inquired.

"It's a... Sam."

"Sam." Then Frank's eyes widen. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He gasped, "As in Sam Radley?"

Fenton nodded.

"No!" Joe sat up quickly. "Is he..." He winced in pain of his leg.

Fenton held up his hand, "Whoa...whoa. He has a mild concussion, they're keeping him here overnight for observation. He'll be released sometime tomorrow. "

The boys sat back in their beds a little relieved after hearing that. Frank ran a hand through his hair. He didn't think he could take any more bad news. However he had a feeling there was more to come. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out to keep himself calm.

Frank began thinking out loud. "Did he see who attacked him?"

"Ryan Hayden." Joe guessed. His stomach churned thinking of the younger Hayden brother.

"It's highly unlikely," Their father shook his head, "Given that he's wanted for the deaths of the two officers." Fenton began filling the boys in on the police investigation of Seth's murder. "However, we can't rule him out just yet. At least until we have proof."

"Con did question a waitress who was working at the coffee shop last night. She told him there was a man in dark clothing sitting at a table in the corner. He was the only customer in there at the time. He had a cap over his face making it hard for her to see his face."

"She went back to the kitchen to call her manager because she had a bad feeling about the man and when she returned he was gone. This was around 10 last night which was around the same time Seth was killed."

"Chief Collig is going over the footage of a security camera the manager installed in the alley. Hopefully we'll be able to learn more."

Joe asked to be sure. "So Henry really did kill him? I mean he confessed that he did."

"We don't exactly know yet if Henry killed Seth." Fenton replied. "However, we do have evidence that may point in his direction."

"What kind of evidence?"

"A brick. We believe is the murder weapon. It was laying beside Seth."

"Was there anything else?"

Fenton rubbed his tired eyes. "Actually, Sam did find a clue on the ground by the brick." He looked at Frank. "He wanted me to see it first before he turned it over as evidence."

Joe didn't like the worried look his father was giving his brother. It gave him chills.

Frank's heart pounded in his chest when he saw concern in his father's eyes. "Dad, what is it?" Here in comes it he thought more bad news.

"It was a drawing of a blond superhero character. Just like the first drawing you showed me that Henry had done, except this one had a blond superhero character firing off some kind of x-ray gun at a dark haired figure who resembled you."

Feeling his temper flare up, Joe balled his hands into fists. It was taking everything in him not to go find Henry and beat the living shit out of him. Nothing would stop him, not even his wounded leg. No one hurts Frank.

Frank turned his head to look out the window lost in thought. It saddened him to think Henry really hated him enough to want to kill him. There was a part of him that wanted to be wrong about him. He wanted to believe with his whole heart that Henry wasn't a monster like his abusive father. He really did want to help him and he tried, but, he couldn't ignore that feeling he had that told him something wasn't right about Henry.

After all it was his job to protect his little brother at all costs. Joe was more important to him than anything. The way he saw it, on some level Henry wasn't partly to blame, well the crimes he committed, yes, that was solely on him. The sad part was that Henry started out as a victim of his father's torture and abuse and ended up as a criminal committing horrific acts.

Frank will never forget that helpless feeling he felt watching as Hayden abused his brother with…a knife…the rats… that closet... the fear in Joe's eyes is forever ingrained in his head.

Wait... where did this come from ? Why was he thinking of it now? He shivered inwardly as he flashed back to that basement where he was tied to a dingy old bedpost as Hayden stood over him, with a belt ready to beat him in his hand.

Thankfully, his father and the police got there in time before one lash tore up his skin. It wasn't even a choice he would've allowed himself to be beaten, He had to be strong and fearless, it was his job as elder brother, to protect Joe.

Frank was starting to come to the conclusion that there would be no winners once this case was wrapped up. It also angered him that innocent people got swept up in the aftermath and got hurt or worse lost their lives like Seth and Phil. The person solely responsible for this whole lousy situation was Jack Hayden. The man has to die.

"If Henry's fingerprints are on that paper." Fenton said breaking into Frank's thoughts. "And they match the prints on the brick, then we have proof Henry killed Seth." Those words still left a bitter taste in his mouth. "As for Phil, My guess is at some point he and Henry crossed paths with each other. "

"Maybe Phil confronted him or something." Joe began theorizing to try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Maybe he tried to prevent Henry from getting into the hospital. They struggled with the gun and Henry shot him."

He began to tear up thinking of his friend. He wished he could talk to Phil in person. It hurt to think he's gone. It wasn't fair. Joe quickly batted the tears away. No he wasn't going to cry. Frank was being brave about this so he had to do the same.

"Dad, what is going on with Jack Hayden?" Frank asked out of the blue.

Joe began to tense up at hearing the name of his former abusive teacher. He bunched up the corner of his blanket with his hand as the face of the masked man entered his head and then changed to Hayden. He knew it wasn't him who'd shot him...but Hayden was there during his abduction...He could picture him vividly in Millie's stall standing over the dog's body that he killed.

Joe instinctively placed a hand on his neck. He remembered feeling the prick on his neck then everything went black. They did get him right?...maybe he got away...maybe he's...no...no... he cringed inwardly, he was missing for three days...and apparently a lot has happened...God he wanted that damn bastard out of his head. He hated being afraid, Hayden made him feel that way. It made him think of the abuse he inflicted on him.

God please tell me Hayden's locked up.

"Where is he?" He asked hoping to sound nonchalant but inside he was fighting the verge of a panic attack.

"He's in jail awaiting trial." Fenton answered him.

Joe clutches his blanket harder making his knuckles turn white. He was doing his best to fight off the panic attack. He had to keep it from coming to the surface.

Frank noted his brother's nervous demeanor. "Joe, are you okay?" He touched a hand to his chest he felt something was going on with his brother. Something felt wrong.

"I'm fine." Joe lied. He put a hand on his chest he knew Frank was feeling it too. He took a breath to calm himself. He abruptly asked, "Wait, isn't the trial like two weeks away?"

"Well actually it was supposed to be 8 this morning ," Fenton sighed warily. He was still angry over this one and knew his sons would feel the same way. "Hayden's lawyer Daniel Bartend got the judge to grant his client a speedy trial."

Frank wrinkled his forehead in disgust, "How is that possible?"

"I don't know." Fenton shook his head. "Bartend's reason was to avoid having Hayden stressed out anymore than he already is due to him being mentally ill."

"Oh please. That man is faking. this is all an act to him."

"I'm afraid it's not all an act."

"What? What do you mean?"

"During Joe's abduction Hayden was taken to the station to be questioned, during that time he had another one of his 'breakdowns'.

"He gave everyone one hell of a convincing performance. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, he acted like some distraught crazy person and began wailing with actual tears running down his face. _"I don't know why I do these things! It's all in my head...I'm going crazy! It's all my father's fault; he used to beat the shit out of me...he made me like this! He made me into the monster that I am!"_

"Then with a big finish, Hayden had threatened to kill himself and started banging his head repeatedly on the table leaving a huge, bloody gash across his forehead. Crying out how much he loves his son and that he never meant to hurt him."

"Bartend immediately halted the interrogation and demanded medical attention for Hayden. He claimed that his client did in fact, have a mental illness and that he had documentation to prove it, which he pulled out of his briefcase and handed it to Chief Collig."

Fenton rubbed a hand over his face to wiped the disgust off of his face. "Chief Collig, Carl Sims and I both have copies, the document it states that Hayden had a psych test done by a Dr. Miles Camden who has confirmed that Hayden is suffering from Major Depressive Disorder, or in other words, depression."

"It also confirmed what we suspected all along that Hayden is a sociopath." Fenton went on recalling Dr. Camden's report. "These psych tests are normally given to serial killers before they get put on trial; they cannot be manipulated in any way. This is to see if they are mentally insane and have no control over their actions."

"The report also went on to say that all serial killers, and therefore sociopaths, score extremely high when it comes to depression. In fact, major depression is probably a precursor to sociopathy as most sociopaths have troubled paths which could lead to depression. Major depression usually has a lot to do with self anger, guilt, and other negative emotions and is currently labeled a disease."

"It took Bartend, Chief Collig and several officers to stop him from bashing his head in. I just stood by watching the scene in front of me. I wasn't buying any of it. I was livid and still am."

"Shamefully, a part of me was hoping that Hayden would succeed in killing himself as it would make our job much easier. But then, I reminded myself, everything I'd taught you boys about justice would be for nothing. All credibility would go out the window."

"Chief Collig of course, had to comply and take the whole matter seriously. Hayden was given medical treatment for his forehead and taken back to his cell, heavily guarded. That is where he is at the moment. "

"Carl Sims has been appointed prosecutor for the trial. He managed to convince the judge to move the trial to Wednesday. He explained about you boys being in the hospital and that he needed time to prepare you for the trial and requested permission to record your testimonies."

"No." Frank disagreed. "I want to be in the courtroom when I tell the judge and jury of what the bastard did to me."

"I agree with Frank. " Joe confirmed. He took a calming breath. Truthfully he wasn't looking forward to having to face him, but had to do it. Putting Hayden in prison for twenty five years would make his fear go away.

"Well I commend you two for your bravery in wanting to, but it's not going to happen. You're still recovering." Fenton replied. He too noticed Joe's nervous demeanor. "Now's probably a good time for a break."

But Joe kept going. "How will Henry's actions affect Hayden's trial?" He asked he could feel the panic attack coming to the surface. He took a breath to calm down again. "There's no way he's going to testify now. Unless they make him a deal or something. Which I don't think is going to happen. After what Henry had done to Seth and Phil. He almost killed Frank! He deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life along with his father!"

Fenton paused for a moment. He didn't want to say it let alone believe it. He felt his sons' eyes on him they were waiting for him to respond. The only thing he could tell them was the truth.

"It's not looking good for us," Fenton finally answered. " According to Carl, the judge _might," He emphasized the word 'might,_ very well throw out the charges and ask to review the case once the investigation is complete, and appoint Hayden some new counsel. As of now the case is incomplete so the judge might declare a mistrial. Hayden has a chance of going free after all this."

Joe turned the words over in his head. Free…Hayden…free...His breathing grew heavier as he thought of him trapped in that closet with the rats crawling over him...their teeth, sharp teeth nipping at his flesh...the taste of the metal knife.

He placed a trembling hand on his lip, the one, which had been, bandaged not all that long ago. "NO!... _NO!_ God, no!"

"Joe!" Frank and Fenton's voices brought him out of his panicked state.

Instantly Frank climbed out of his bed and sat down next to him rubbing his back, trying to comfort him. "Joe, you're okay. You're safe," he said soothingly.

Joe replied breathlessly looking up at his father. "Dad,… Hayden can't...go free."

"Little brother, take a deep breath, calm down." Frank instructed as he continued to rub his back to comfort him.

Joe started rubbing his wounded leg nervously up and down. Fenton knelt down, touching the side of Joe's face, talking to him calmly as they attempted to calm him down.

"Son, listen, to your brother. Take a breath and calm down." Fenton hated seeing his son like this. "Don't worry about Hayden. He's not going free. We're not giving up, yet."

Joe took a deep, shuddering breath. He nodded. "Why, how do you know? You just said things are not looking good for us. Without Henry's testimony...it's hopeless..."

"Actually, there is hope, Cindy Hayden may be able to help us." Fenton revealed to the boys their mother thankfully was able to get Cindy Hayden to talk at the police station. "She confessed everything from Joe's kidnapping and the Bellevue hospital fire and the name of man who shot Joe. She has agreed to testify against Hayden in exchange for us placing her into the witness protection program."

"Plus the murders of their parents Hayden and his brother committed seventeen years ago."

The boys exchanged looks with each other. They began processing all their father had told them. Maybe there was hope after all.

"She told us about the fight you had with Ryan in your weakened state, you had risked your life to save hers. Does any of that sound familiar to you Joe?"

"Everything she told you is the same thing she told me." Joe nodded. "I had to stop Ryan. He was going to kill her, because she told me their secrets about them killing their parents. I convinced her to help me escape because I felt in my heart that," he looked at his brother and suddenly got emotional, "Frank was in some kind of trouble. And she did, she helped me. I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. In fact I owe my life to so many people, Con, Cindy Hayden, Seth and Phil."

Joe quickly cleared his throat and looked back at Fenton. He began speaking of his ordeal during his kidnapping. The same thing he told Frank, " I know the masked man, wasn't Hayden who'd shot him me... the masked man was there at the cabin too. He was arguing with Crazy Nurse Matthews."

"Dad, you said Cindy told you who he was? "

"She did."

"Well, who is he? Who shot me?"

"Hayden's lawyer, Daniel Bartend."


	30. Chapter 30

Aftermath chapter 30

Joe exchanged glances with Frank; he was just as shocked as he was. Joe looked back at his father. "Hayden's lawyer shot me?" He repeated slowly, just to be sure that he'd heard him correctly.

"Correct." Fenton sighed wearily and sat back in his seat.

"So he must've been the guy Mr. O'Bryan saw in the hospital parking lot." Frank said thinking of his and Biff's trip to Bellevue to question the maintenance man.

"That's right."

"And according to Cindy Hayden's confession, Bartend was also involved in helping her and Karen Marshall break Hayden out of the Bellevue hospital. Bartend's part in it was to drive the getaway car. They made their way back to here to Bayport to get Henry. "

"They were outside a couple of blocks away and saw you Joe, Chet, Con and Baker leaving the hospital in the SUV with Henry. From there they followed you to the barbershop and eventually made their way out to the Morton farm."

"Joe, do you remember running into Hayden at the Morton farm?" Fenton asked, gently.

"Yeah, I remember. I remember everything."

"Do you feel like talking about it? If you're not ready, I won't push. I know you boys are dealing with a lot right now, with Phil."

There was a short pause, Fenton waited patiently for his youngest to reply.

Joe looked down at his hands. Trying to decide if he wanted to talk about it. Maybe it would help, maybe if he focused on that then he wouldn't think of the loss of Phil.

Truthfully, he wanted to burst out and cry. He couldn't do that. Frank was keeping it in, he was being strong and brave, he had to do the same. Plus, he knew if he did cry it would only upset Frank, Joe certainly didn't want to stress him out.

Frank had never left Joe's bedside after his panic attack. He laid next to him to comfort to him. He wanted to be ready in case the next one hit. His heart hurt like hell for the loss of Phil, but he wasn't ready to face it yet. Truthfully, he was scared to let go of his emotions. He wasn't sure if he would be able to stop himself once he started. No he couldn't, not now, Joe needed him. He had to be his focus and help him through his ordeal.

"Joe, You're safe. Get it off your chest. Tell Dad what you told me." Joe felt Frank's hand on his shoulder giving him the push he needed.

Joe let out a heavy sounding breath. "Okay." Images began to flood his mind. "After Frank and I had our argument , I stormed off towards the stable. When I got there I heard Iola's horse Millie making a ruckus so I headed over to her to see what was bothering her. I got to her and saw Hayden in her stall, holding a bloody knife. He was standing over Duke's body."

His breathing began to speed up as he continued. "The blood...he'd killed Chet's dog. I was in shock but then suddenly thought of Henry. I had to warn him but before I could move I felt a sharp prick on the side of my neck." Joe brought his hand up to his neck, touching it lightly. "After that everything went dark."

"I'm not sure for how long, but, I woke up in the trunk of a moving car. I started panicking because I was trapped. I kicked the roof of the trunk a few times although nothing happened as a result. We went a few more miles before the car stopped moving and I heard the doors start opening. The masked man we know now is, Daniel Bartend Hayden's lawyer was the one to open the trunk."

"Cindy and crazy Nurse Matthews were there. Daniel Bartend ordered them to help him get me in the other car. He started arguing with Nurse Crazy as she hadn't sedated me."

"While they were arguing, I got up and jumped out of the car. It didn't take long for him to catch me before we started fighting. I know I hit him in the face but he still had the advantage because that's when he..." He took a breath before he finished, "shot my leg."

Fenton and Frank both cringed at Joe describing the hell he went through. It ripped them apart at the thought of how close they came to losing him. They both wanted to lock themselves in a room with Bartend and rip him apart limb by limb.

"I remember waking up tied to a bed post, in so much pain. My leg felt like it was on fire." Joe continued on shaking his head, as he told his part of his tail. "Bartend was there at the cabin too where they held me captive, I knew it couldn't have been Ryan Hayden. Although, he was there."

"New Haven, as in New Haven Connecticut?" Fenton asked as he listened closely to Joe's account, and comparing it word for word with Cindy Hayden's confession. So far it was all adding up correctly.

"Yeah, I think so."

Fenton questioned, "So, Ryan was there?" Although he already knew that answer.

"Yeah, he caught me trying to escape," Joe reached out and touched his leg, "I didn't think I was going to make it. But I knew I had to try; I had to get back to Frank." His voice trailed off.

"Take your time son, you don't have to rush. If you need a break just say so."

"No, I want to do this," Joe took another breath and started to remember more of his ordeal. "I remember Ryan was furious with Cindy, nurse crazy and Bartend. I guess me getting shot wasn't part of Hayden's plan. Ryan continued talking, going on to say he'd come back to take charge and see his brother's plan through. He said that I was the key to Jack's freedom although I have no clue what he meant by that."

"I think it he was probably referring to Hayden's trial." Frank answered piecing that part of Joe's puzzle together, "they kidnapped you in order to keep us all distracted- that way Bartend could work on getting him off on all charges."

Fenton nodded in agreement.

"Well that makes sense."

"Okay, go on, you're doing fine." Frank pushed.

"Okay..." Joe calmly took a breath and began again, "Nurse crazy had left to get medicine for my leg..."

"Hold on, why do you keep calling her Nurse Crazy?" Fenton asked curiously.

"She is! Dad, I tell you...I thought she was going to rape me..." Joe shivered inwardly as he thought of the seductive way she'd touched him.

"What!?" Fenton exclaimed. He hadn't heard this part. However he did know Karen Marshall had been a victim of sexual abuse.

He watched his son quickly pull the blanket up to his waist, a horrible thought enters his mind...no, please dear God not that.

Joe answered quickly reassuring his father. "But She didn't, Dad, I promise, nothing...like that happened. She touched me with her hand, that's as far as it went."

"Believe me Dad, I thought the same thing when Joe told me." Frank remarked, he felt a pain in his heart; the idea made him sick.

Fenton let out a huge sigh of relief, he felt his heart rate slow down. Thank God; that would've been the last thing they'd needed to have to deal with.

"Nurse Crazy hates men...and thinks we all deserve to die, because all men use women for sex. She wanted to get rid of me so that I wouldn't go breaking a girl's heart. She told me when she got back she was going to take either my leg or my life. It was my choice." Joe finished the rest of his ordeal.

Again confirming everything Cindy Hayden told Fenton and the police.

"I don't understand why Bartend would shoot me?" Joe asked grimly. "Why would he jeopardize his case like that?"

"At first I didn't know whether or not Bartend was involved." Fenton nodded. "But then he did a thorough background check on me, so I returned the favor and did one on him. It came back squeaky clean. No criminal record."

He gave the boys a quick rundown of his search and its findings. "Bartend was born and raised in New Haven Connecticut. His parents are former Harvard law graduates. Bartend followed in his parents' footsteps and graduated Harvard law with top honors."

Fenton sighed wearily. He ran a hand through his hair as he said. "The only thing he was guilty of at the time was his arrogance. He had me thrown off this case because, he felt his client would be treated unfairly due to the fact, that I was emotionally involved because Joe was missing at the time."

"Now I know the real reason why he wanted me off the case." He nodded at Frank "Then when you told me about the man that Mr. O'Bryan saw in the parking lot. It got me thinking that maybe Bartend isn't as squeaky clean as he'd like everyone to believe. "

"Sam had a theory that Bartend is so over confident that he can get the charges dropped. It could explain why he pushed for the speedy trial. He thinks and I agree, Bartend maybe the type of guy who's willing to cut a few corners or agree to shady deals with his clients to make sure he comes out on top."

"The more cases he's got under his belt with a positive outcome as far as he's concerned will end up boosting his career. That Bartend was willing to go so far as to help his client escape from a mental institution and help abduct Joe in order to do that." It made him angry just thinking about it.

"He also thinks that even in jail Jack Hayden is still calling the shots. He knows how to manipulate everyone around him into doing what he wants. Cindy Hayden, Henry, even Bartend."

"I also found out Bartend's got a 38 magnum revolver registered under his name." Frank and Joe glanced at each other, unease clear in both of their facial expressions as they took in Fenton's information.

Then Frank had a sudden thought. "Dad, could that explain the question of how Henry got his hands on a gun?" He threw out a theory of his own and he was boiling mad at the possibility.

Joe nodded in disbelief. "That means Bartend could be an accessory in Phil's murder." He shouted unable to hold his temper. "He gave that crazy kid a loaded gun! Henry almost killed Frank! All for what... Hayden...that stupid bastard!"

" This complicates everything." He began rubbing his wounded leg as Hayden's face began flashing in his head. The thought of the big man laughing at them for getting away with the crimes he committed. Like some deranged Puppet Master pulling the strings manipulating everyone around him to do his will. It can't happen! it can't!

Fenton said. "Joe, calm down. Look this is a very complicated case. We need to question Bartend, before we can even be sure that gun that Henry had belongs to him."

"The Hayden brothers murdering their parents, that has to count for something right?" The youngest Hardy felt like they were grasping at straws here.

His father replied. "These murders supposedly happened seventeen years ago when they were teenagers. It'll take some time to look into and we only have one day until the trial."

"I'm sorry Dad, but I don't see the hope you were talking about." Joe retorted. "Cindy's confession or her agreeing to testify against Hayden means nothing."

Joe'sbreathing began to get heavy and bunched up his blanket again. He felt another panic attack coming on. "I'm losing faith in the justice you're trying to teach us."

"It's nothing but a fairytale. The tale about how we have fight for justice and how we have to stay in control. Do things the right way...the legal way, or people like Hayden would win. Well, the simple fact is Hayden's going free on a technicality. I just know it."

Tears began swelling up in the corner of his eyes, he added through clenched teeth. "The sad part is innocent people got hurt and...Seth...P-phil died because of your so called justice. If that's your idea of justice I don't want it!"

Fenton found himself batting away tears of his own. He was simply at a loss for words. For the first time in his life he didn't know how to respond to his son. He needed to go clear his head to figure out the best way to handle it.

"I think now would be a good time for a break." Fenton cleared his throat, finally finding the words to speak. With that he rose to his feet and left the room.

Frank turned his head away to the window blinking away tears. He wasn't going to breakdown. Not now. But Joe's words hit him hard. His little brother can be harsh but brutally honest. He didn't know what to say either.

Damn you Hayden. this is **all** your fault, he cursed, You'll **pay** dearly...for Joe...for Seth...for P-phil. There was only one way to make the pain stop. Hayden has to die...no, stop it, he berated himself, he couldn't think that way.

That was Hayden's way of thinking, and Frank was not like Hayden. He was going to prove the bastard wrong.

Frank quickly shook that thought out of his head. He had to think things through calmly and logically. He took a moment to compose himself and did the only thing he could do rub Joe's back, trying to comfort him.

Joe let the touch of his brother's hand calm him down. After a few minutes his breathing was back to normal. But god he was afraid. He hated that feeling more than anything. Why was he letting Hayden get to him like this?

(Oooo)

Laura and Gertrude were on their way to the boys **'** hospital room. they'd just been visiting with the Cohen family offering comfort and condolences for the loss of their boys.

Laura immediately had to go see her boys to make sure they were okay. She knew they would be devastated upon learning of Phil's death. As they got closer they noted Officer Baker was back standing outside their room.

The officer gave them a slight nod as the ladies approached the room. All at once Laura stopped she couldn't move her feet, they felt like blocks of cement.

"I can't do this." She started breathing heavily.

"Laura?"

"I can't do this Gertrude. How much more pain does my children have to endure? They suffered enough from Hayden's abuse. And now this? It's not fair. Phil was Frank's best friend. What if he can't cope with his death? What if this is too much for him?"

"I can't lose him." Her voice quivered as she attempted to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"It won't come to that." Gertrude replied.

"How can you say that?" Laura snapped. A surge of anger crept into her voice. "Look what happened to your father. He was battling depression just like Frank. He couldn't cope with his partner's death! He ended up killing himself! It almost took Fenton. God help me it can't take my son!"

Laura gasped; slapping a hand over her mouth, suddenly realizing what she was saying and feeling ashamed for it. She looked at her sister in-law. "Oh, Gertrude, I...I didn't mean…" She immediately whirled around and went over to the counter at the nurse's station.

A blonde nurse looked up from her computer screen. "Ma'am, is everything alright?" She asked concerned.

Laura couldn't speak her voice was heavy with emotion. She slowly nodded her response.

"Let me know if there's anything you need." The nurse kindly replied.

Laura cleared her throat. "Thank you." She managed to say.

Gertrude took a breath and when over to Laura. "It's okay, Laura I understand." She replied, excusing the poor woman's angry outburst. Her own heart was aching for her nephews.

Laura turned around and fell into the older woman's open arms and just cried. Gertrude held her until she finished and then pulled her back.

"Thank you, Gert. I needed that." Laura replied wiping her tears. "Again I am sorry. I-I'm just scared."

"I don't want Frank to go through that dark place like Fenton did. What if he can't fight this? What if his grief consumes him like it did your father?" She hugged her arms to her body, "I can't stop thinking what he was like when Joe was missing. Just thinking his brother was dead almost killed him."

"And Joe I can't imagine what he's going through." She sniffed back tears. "It wouldn't surprise me if he followed suit, because he looks up to his father and brother. He tries to be just like them."

"Laura," Gertrude replied. "Father took his life because he didn't know how to deal with his problems. Mother tried to help him, but he wouldn't talk to her or, let her love him. So she gave up on him."

"Fenton fell into that dark place because he wouldn't talk about father's suicide. Instead he suppressed all his feelings, and pushed people away to hide the hurt. I thank the Lord everyday Fenton never crossed the line of taking his life."

She sniffed back a tear of her own. "It's because of you. You're a blessing Laura. You changed everything around for him. Even when he tried to push you away, you never gave up on him. You are a brave strong woman willing to fight for him. You gave him something that was never given to him, unconditional love and support."

"I admit, I never had it either," She added placing a hand on Laura's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "It's the reason I never married and had a family of my own. My sharp-tongue can put people off, but, I'm not afraid to speak my mind. Under my tough exterior is a great deal of affection. But, I've learned to allow myself to love and to be loved."

"Laura you, Fenton, and the boys are the only family I have, and I love you all very much." She gave a teary-eyed smiled at Laura, "And we're going to surround Frank and Joe with unconditional love and support." Gertrude said, adding her encouragement. "Even if they try to push us away, we push back and never give up on them."

"Thank you Gertrude." Laura brushed the tears off her face. She never heard Gertrude talk like this, what she said to her about having a sharp-tongue and tough exterior was true. But under all that was someone who just wanted to be loved and appreciated like everyone else. "I love you too."

Fenton stepped out of the boys' room. He saw the two women standing by the nurse's station. "Laura, Gert, is everything okay?" He asked noticing they were upset.

"We're talking and worrying about the boys. How are they?" Laura asked, sniffing back a sob. "How are they taking the news about Phil? They must be so devastated."

"You could say that." Fenton sigh wearily. He quickly filled the ladies in on the whole incident with Henry almost shooting Frank and then he ended the tale with him telling the boys about the tragic news about Phil leaving them in pieces.

"I think we're going to have our work cut out for us with Frank."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not coping well with Phil's death. He won't cry. In fact, he's fighting it as usual. Joe on the other hand, I think wants to, but he won't if Frank won't."

"Frank's going to push his grief aside and put all his attention on his brother. He's going to be more protective of Joe than ever.

He went into a bit of a tailspin wouldn't let me comfort him or anything, then he kind of zoned out for a few minutes. Then he snapped out of it when Joe cried out in pain from ripping out his stitches," He quickly reassuring his wife that Joe's fine, all patched up safe and sound back in his room.

"You should've seen Frank though, it was scary he acted like a guard dog ready to attack to prevent the orderly and Dr. Bryce from taking Joe out of the room. I had to physically pull him aside so they could take care of Joe."

"Frank went and laid down quiet at first, still refused to be comforted, so I didn't push. I stayed patient with him, and waited for him to make the first move. We waited for Joe to come back."

"Frank started opening up a little talking about Phil. Then he started asking questions about depression and suicide and I knew it was time to have that talk." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Once Joe came back we had a long talk about their grandfather's death, depression and suicide. I think it went well."

"Well, that's a good thing," Gertrude brought up, "For Frank to ask questions is a good thing, Joe too. That's what we want them to do. You got the lines of communication open."

He nodded at the room behind him and fill the ladies on what Frank and Joe's friends ordeals they went through with Henry.

"The kids left a few minutes ago to go home from lunch. I came out here to take a break and give our boys privacy to talk. I just wish they would allow themselves to grieve, it's what they need. My heart hurts for them. I want to take away their pain but I can't..." He had tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Dr. Reese is coming by to talk to the boys. I'm hoping she'll be able to help them, help heal this family."

Laura threw her arms around him sobbing. Fenton wrapped his arms around her. Releasing her he wiped her tears away, kissing her forehead as he did so. Laura calmly collected her thoughts.

"I know this is so hard for you and how protective you are of them. It's just one of the reasons why I love you so much." She looked up at her husband. She could see that his tired eyes were filled with worry.

I'm fine, really." He said quickly reassuring his wife. "On top of that Joe knows the truth that Bartend was the one who shot him. It was probably the wrong time to tell him, but he knows. The bad part of telling him it caused another panic attack."

"Panic attack, oh no, Joe." Laura sighed hurriedly.

"He's fine now Frank and I both managed to calm him down."

"Well, did you tell him about Cindy Hayden's confession and her agreeing to testify against Hayden."

"I did. He doesn't think it will do any good. He's convinced Bartend's involvement and Henry's actions will cause the judge to declare a mistrial. He's terrified Hayden will go free. I don't think I've ever seen Joe that scared. And now he believes everything I taught him and his brother about our justice system has been a lie." Fenton sighed wearily.

He rubbed his eyes again. He needed a break, he needed sleep, but he couldn't. There was so much to do. "I need to go check in with Con. And Dr. Bryce is going to let us know when Henry is ready for questioning. First thing though, I need to go pay my respects to the Cohen family."

"Then after that you're going home to bed." Gertrude spoke up. Fenton looked at her strangely.

"You are exhausted, you need sleep."

"Gert, I don't..."

"This is where the boys gets their stubbornness from. Brother, you have not slept in three days since Joe went missing," Gertrude planted her hands on her hips. "Look at you, you're about to fall where you stand."

"Gertrude, how could I possibly sleep at a time like this." Fenton argued. He shook his head. " I can't leave the boys not now."

"How are you going to help them if you're dead on your feet? You know you are at your sharpest when you're well rested. The best way for you to help your boys, you need to sleep."

"She's right, you know." Laura agreed. "We don't know what we're in for with the boys. It's going to take all our strength to help them through this. We have to stay on top of things, and rest will help."

"Okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt to rest my eyes for a little while." Fenton reluctantly agreed.

"Good." Gertrude sighed. She was satisfied that he was going to at least attempted to rest.

"Good, Fenton, you go rest." Laura said eagerly. "I want to go put my arms around the boys." With that she gave Fenton a quick hug before she and Gertrude when in to see the boys.

Fenton went over to Officer Baker. "Keep an eye on them for me."

"Sure thing, Mr. Hardy."

Suddenly the sound of Fenton's cell phone ringing brought them to attention.

Fenton immediately took it out of his pocket and answered, "Detective Hardy speaking".

"Fenton, it' Con"

"Con, please tell me you have some good news."

"I do, good and bad."

"And?"

"The fingerprints on the brick and drawing, match." Officer Riley said at the other end of the line.

"And gun," Fenton prompted.

"Henry's prints are also on the gun." Con confirmed.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"It confirms Henry did in fact kill Seth and Phil Cohen." Fenton's heartbeat started pounding out of his chest.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so."

Damn. Fenton cursed. He's thought quickly turned to the Cohen family and felt saddened for their loss.

"And here's the kicker **:** the gun is registered under the one and only Daniel Bartend." Con added at the other end of the line.

"The Chief already called dibs on slapping the cuffs on as he calls him,' the arrogant pain in the ass lawyer'. I can't wait to hear what he has to say about all this."

Rage began coursing through Fenton's body; he wanted to get his hands on Bartend. Joe had almost died because of that so-called lawyer!

"That goes for me too. Although, it'll probably take the whole department to keep me from throwing that man's ass through a wall."

Fenton hung up his phone and looked up to see Dr. Bryce approach them.

"Henry's out of surgery. He's lucky it was just a flesh wound. We patch up his arm and his being moving to a room. Reading for questioning."

"Thank you, Dr. Bryce."

Unbeknownst to the Hardys the blonde nurse was listening to every word. She grins slyly and walks away from the counter disappearing down the hall.

(OOOO)

 **writer's note**

 **Hello, thank you everyone who left me wonderful reviews, and to those who are favorites, following, or just reading. And a big thank you to my beta reader for your help, advice and support you are awesome. Sadly this part of the story is coming to an end there is two chapters left...the third death will be revealed in the last chapter...any guesses on who? Oh! And to all Frank and Callie fans I've not forgotten about them there will be something special happening with them...something I think you'll love**

 **and then I'll began working on the next sequel A brother's revenge. Please let me know your thoughts :)**


	31. Chapter 31

Hello, I bet you all have been wondering where I've been and why it's taking me so long to update, well I've been working and plotting the next sequel because this chapter is the second to the last chapter and alot is happening...right now I want to take a moment to thank everyone for your wonderful reviews, and following, favorite, or just reading, you are awesome.

And a big thank you to my beta reader you've been a big help :) Here's my new chapter hope you like it. Let me kno your thoughts.

Aftermath chapter 31

Later that Monday afternoon,

Frank had moved back to his own bed to let Joe rest in his bed. He laid silently looking out the window mulling over the case. Then his mind began to wander to his late friend, I'm so sorry Phil. I wasn't there when you needed me. All at once he felt the urge to cry. He didn't want it to happen, but the more he wished it would stop the more he felt it coming. He felt a pain in his chest and began rubbing at it willing it to go away.

At that moment Joe leaned over to adjust the pillow under his leg. He took a glance over and his heart sank at his big brother laying on his bed trying hard to fight back tears. He hated to see him like that, it was a battle he couldn't fight for him, the only thing Joe could do was support him.

He noted Frank was rubbing at his chest indicating he was hurting, and that was concerning most of all. What if this is too much for his heart? What if the loss of Phil made things worse for Frank's heart.

"Frank?" He called out to him.

Instantly Frank snapped out of his depressing thoughts when he heard Joe call his name. Quickly batting away tears, he propped himself up with his elbows and gave him his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? Should we call for Dr. Bryce?" Joe asked hurriedly doing his best to stay calm. He sat up quickly making his leg hurt, but he didn't care, right now Frank needed his attention.

"No I'm fine..." Frank replied in between breaths.

"..I know you're thinking about Phil and the stress of everything...can't be good...for your heart..."

"Joe stop...I said I'm fine."

Joe just nodded, "You know, it's okay, you can cry." He suggested slowly. Even though, he wanted to do just that, but he couldn't he had to be strong for Frank. "I won't think less of you. if it helps, I'll even look away."

"Thank you Joe, but I can't." Frank swallowed a lump in his throat, he was touched by his brother's kind gesture. "It won't help."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Joe he knew his brother was lying, he was far from fine. He looked down at his hands and then back at Frank, "It was stupid to suggest it. Just like I was stupid for not seeing Henry's true colors. I was too caught up in trying to help..." He choked up with, "He almost killed you. Seth and Phil are dead. Shit! It's my fault, you're like this." Joe sniffed back tears. He berated himself. Stop don't cry. You're seventeen years old for god sake's grow up be a man... be strong, Frank needs you to be strong!

"Hey, listen to me. None of this is your fault." Frank said, he sat up and swung his legs up over the bed. "You are not the cause of my depression, it just happened, I'm working through it." He felt guilty that Joe was feeling like this, blaming himself for something he had no control over. "And another thing, you are not stupid. you did you're best to try to help him. Henry is responsible for the choices he made and alone has to face the consequences. Not you."

"I can't help how I feel." Joe argued, he reached out and touched his leg. "And there's Hayden that stupid bastard. Every time I think about him I panic." He swiped a blond hair out of his eyes, and then put a hand on his forehead, "I can't get him out of my head. I hate it. Hayden broke me. What if this whole thing proves I'm not cut out to be a detective?"

"That's BS." Frank shot back. ignoring the ache in his chest again, he got up to stretch. "He did not break you."

He went over to Joe. "Remember what you told me that's what he does...he likes to play with your head because he's a sociopath. Makes you believe what he wants you to believe. Hayden is nothing more than a bully. He wants us to be his victims." Frank was hoping to light a fire in him.

"Well no more. I'm taking back control over my life. And nothings going to stand in my way. I'm going to Princeton like I planned and I'm going to ask Callie to marry me when things have settled down and the timing is right."

"And what about our dream Joe, to become fully licensed detectives. Don't you want that? The chance to work with Dad, not just as his sons, but as equal partners. Don't you want Hardy and Sons' Detective Agency' to come true?"

Anger flared up inside of him as he thought, damn it Hayden! you're not going to take this away! Frank straighten back up folding his arms to his chest. "Don't let Hayden have control over your life. Fight back," He softened his tone of voice. "After everything you've been through, you deserve to be happy and enjoy your senior year."

"I mean you've got football games to win with Biff and Chet, senior prom to look forward to." He raised a brow and gave Joe a little incentive. "Maybe even ask out that new girl in your class Vanessa Bender. I know you like her, and was planning on asking her out before all this nightmare happened."

Joe grinned slightly at the mention of Vanessa's name. His grin slowly fades into a thin line. He instinctively touched his leg as Hayden rose to mind. However, Frank was right they needed to stop being victims, but Joe still had doubts.

He let out an exasperating sigh. "Okay maybe I do want those things you mentioned. And maybe I was wrong calling Dad's justice a fairytale."

Frank sat down beside Joe. "It **'** s just so damn frustrating." The younger brother grumbled, balling his hands into fists, he looked away took a breath and his stomach began to churn thinking of that big man.

Joe turned back casting his eyes up at Frank, "You know, as well as I do that, Hayden's not just going to go away once he goes free." He brought up a point of his own.

"Oh sure, He might disappear for a while, but he'll surface again with a thirst for revenge." He could feel his anxiety rising at the possibility." Not to mention but Nurse crazy and Ryan Hayden are still out there. They're all wanted for murder. We're going to be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives. No one will be safe, our friends and family will be targets."

He shook his blond head. "And I certainly will not drag Vanessa Bender into this mess. I will not put another girlfriend's life in danger. I went through that pain with Iola, Not again."

Vanessa wasn't even his 'girlfriend' However he wanted to get a chance to know the girl first, he knew when he bumped into that beautiful tall blonde angel in the hall at school he felt an instant connection.

"I know for a fact you wouldn't want the same for Callie."

Frank ran a hand through his hair thinking of what Joe had said. And he was right there was a good chance Hayden would come back for revenge. "You know, Joe there's a chance the judge won't declare a mistrial. Maybe he'll appoint a new counsel for Hayden, we do have Cindy Hayden's confession so maybe he'll want to review the case, even though there's a lot of holes in the case. There's a chance."

Joe just gave him an, 'oh come on really,' look. "Yeah, I know it's wishful thinking." Frank replied flatly.

As he thought about it he was determined to not let that happen. Anger began to fester inside of the older Hardy boy, making his heart hurt. He vowed to do **whatever** it takes to keep his friends, Callie, and family safe.

"Well I think that's more of a reason to fight for justice."

"What exactly would that entail Frank?" Joe commented candidly. It was wrong to even think it, let alone to even say it. But it had to be said. He had a feeling Frank would feel the same way.

"I know that Dad told us many times. It's his number one rule that he's set in stone for anyone who works for him. That we're to never take the law in our own hands, but what, what if..." He huffed out slowly, "in this particular case we're not given a choice. What if fighting for justice means crossing a line we don't want to cross in order to protect the ones we love."

"Frank, Joe." They heard their mother call to them before Frank could respond to his brother.

(OOOO)

"Your father filled us in on everything going on, with Henry, Hayden, and the trial, and we know about Phil." Laura said sympathetically. She sat down on the bed and raked a hand through Joe's blond hair. "so we came as soon as we could." She sniffed back a tear. she gently caressing the left side of his face with her hand. "you okay?"

"No, life right now sucks." Joe blurted out. He quickly slapped a hand to his mouth, inwardly kicked himself for the way he spoke to her. First he spouts off to his father now his mother. God what was wrong with him?

"I'm sorry Mom...I didn't mean..."

"I know, You're upset with in reason." Laura said excusing his sarcastic tone. There was no need to be upset with him she knew he was expressing his hurt, and she didn't blame him for one second.

Joe smiled to show he was happy to see them, which was true. "Mom, where's Dad didn't he come with you?" He asked nonchalant feeling the need to change the subject.

"He went home to get some rest. He'll be back."

"We finally convinced him to go get some rest." Gertrude added. "Hopefully he's doing so. This whole case has been really hard on your father."

Now Joe felt really bad about what he said to his father. He never realized how difficult this was for him.

"We've been visiting with the Cohens." Gertrude said sadly to her nephews.

"You saw Phil's parents?" Frank asked curiously.

"We did."

"How are they?" That was stupid to ask, he thought. you idiot, How do you think they are?

Christopher and Paula Cohen must be beside themselves. Phil was their miracle child. Frank remembered his friend telling him once that his parents had two miscarriages before they finally got pregnant with him. They decided not to have anymore children after him. Phil was all the blessings they needed. And now he's **gone** , his life taken away by Henry Jacobs.

"As you can imagine, they're devastated." His aunt sadly answered breaking into his thoughts.

"We met Seth's parents Todd and Amy Cohen and his two younger brothers, twins actually, Kayden and Kyle. " Gertrude added to the rest of her story.

She shook her head, "Just thirteen years old they were close to their older brother. Such a nice family. My heart goes out to all of them. Seth was getting ready to graduate high school, he wanted to go to NYU to be a teacher and help kids with learning disabilities."

"And to think. Here they were planning graduation parties for them, and now funerals. It doesn't seem right." Laura sadly expressed her feelings.

This afternoon she spent comforting two mothers grieving the loss of their children. She felt guilty, for it was not more than three days ago, when Laura thought she'd be the one grieving the loss of hers. but she was lucky, she had both of her sons right here in front of her. While they were hurt and grieving, and most importantly alive and has all the time in the world to mend.

"Right now we're more concerned about you two. You must be just as devastated about Phil, I am so sorry. " All Laura wanted to do was hold them. She wrapped her arms around Joe, pulling him into a warm motherly hug.

Joe suddenly realized what was wrong with him, his emotions were all over the place. He felt himself starting to break and as hard as he tried to be strong for Frank, he couldn't hold it in any longer. Laura's arms around him made him feel like a little kid needing comfort only a mother could give him.

Joe took in a sharp breath and sobbed once. That was all it took. Soon the tears began to pour down his face. He lost control and fell into her embrace.

Laura looked above his blonde head and exchanged concerned looks with Gertrude. She just sat there holding Joe. "Shh... It's okay," she whispered, blinking back tears of her own. 'You just have yourself a good cry, there's no shame in doing so."

Oh no, Frank turned away from the scene refusing to breakdown. He got up and went over to the window forcing himself to focus on the world outside.

Once he was all cried out, Laura released Joe keeping him at arms length and kissed his forehead and smiled. "Do you feel better?"

Joe gave her a slight nod. He did feel a little better, but guilty that he broke down. Guess he wasn't as strong as he thought. He couldn't bear to look at Frank, he must be disappointed in him.

"Frank, honey?" Laura asked turning her attention to her eldest. She noted his abrupt departure from the bed to window.

"Mom, please I can't..."

She got up and went over to him. "Frank, please turn around and look at me."

Frank took a deep breath to compose himself. He gingerly rubbed his chest. He turned away from the window and did as his mother requested.

Laura's heart broke just seeing his brown eyes filled with sadness and pain. "I know hard this is for you. But please don't turn away. Can I give you a hug?" She held out her arms to him.

Frank looked at her outreached arms and hesitated for a second then finally gives her a nod.

Gertrude took her turn to comfort Joe. She watched the interaction between mother and son. She didn't know how this was going to go. Would Frank let his mother comfort him. Will he break?

Laura wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Frank relaxed a little and allowed his mother to comfort him. Being in her arms felt good. He felt safe, he felt...'oh no' tears, they started forming in the corners of his brown eyes.

For a split second, Gertrude thought for sure her nephew was going to break. No sooner then the tears began to fall he pulled away from Laura.

"No, I can't do this..."

"Frank..." Laura started to say.

"I'm sorry...Mom." Frank replied regrettably. He was grateful she was here. The hurt look on her face, was the same look he got from his father earlier, added to his guilt. He didn't want to hurt them, he didn't want to hurt anyone, he wanted so much to cry in his mother's arms but he couldn't breakdown like a little boy.

Laura just exchanged concern looks with Gertrude; they both knew he was far from being okay.

"Frank, there's no shame in crying. Your friend just died, it's okay to let it out." His mother reassured him.

"No one would blame you for shedding a tear." Gertrude added her encouragement. "It's not a sign of weakness. It just means..."

"I can't!" Frank replied forcefully then he intended. He shook his head, he cast his eyes upward at his mother and aunt. "You don't know, how much I want to, But I can't. I'm sorry, I love and appreciate you both and you're just trying to help. I get what you're saying."

He clutched his aching chest, "And, Yes, I'm sad and angry that Phil's gone. But, please, I need you to try to understand. I can't just cry because you tell me to." He again fought back the urge to let go. "I don't like how it feels. It won't solve anything and it won't bring him back."

Although she was glad to see that Joe let go of his emotions and allowed himself to cry. Laura sighed. However, she saw what her husband was talking about with Frank, their eldest son wasn't going to make things easy. He was going to have a hard time coping with Phil's death. And with depression in the midst it was going to be a tough battle for him.

She was more determined than ever to do whatever it took to help him through it. He was not going to end up like his grandfather. She wasn't going to lose her son. She had to remember what Fenton told her to be patient and allow Frank to make the first move. The need to be comforted had to be on Frank's terms.

"As your mother it hurts my heart to see you like this. I just want to hold you and take your pain away." Laura let out a tearful sigh," But, okay, we'll do our best to try to understand, we won't push, just know we're here for you. And that we love you very much."

Aunt Gertrude nodded in agreement. It was hard to see her nephews like this. It was just going to take time for them to heal.

Frank wordlessly went and laid down on his bed without making a fuss closing his eyes to shut the world out. Joe looked at Frank he didn't know what to say to him, he did know one thing, Joe put his hand to his chest he felt in his heart he was losing his brother to depression.

'Fra..." Laura started to say.

"Laura, I think it's a good time to let the boys rest, don't you?" Gertrude said taking it as her cue. She walked over and held out a hand to her sister in-law.

"Yes, I think so," Laura gave her a slight nod. Laura gave Joe a quick hug and went around and gave Frank a kiss on the forehead and reminding them of how much she loves them. Reluctantly, she then followed Gertrude out the room.

(OOOO)

"Hello. I came as soon as I could. " Dr. Reese smiled greeting the Hardy women out in the waiting room.

"Dr. Reese, Thank goodness." Laura replied relieved to see the doctor.

"Mrs. Hardy," Dr. Reese said shaking hands with Laura and Gertrude. "Dr. Bryce brought me up to speed on what's going on with your boys health. He also told me they're having trouble in dealing with the tragic death of their friend. I'd like to go in and talk to them if it's okay with you?"

"Yes, of course, please." Laura agreed, she reached out and put her hand in hers. " Anything you can do to help them. Fenton and I would greatly appreciate it."

Gertrude put in, "I have to warn you though, you're going to have your hands full with the boys. Especially when they're together."

The doctor smiled with a nod, "Oh, yes, that is what Mr. Hardy told me."

"You talked to Fenton?" Laura inquired, tilting her head inquisitively.

"I did talk to Mr. Hardy a little bit ago. He was in the waiting room visiting with the family as well," Dr. Reese nodded.

She began to explain, "He pulled me aside before he left. He gave me a run down of his family's history of mental illness. Of his father dealing with depression and committing suicide. Your husband was deeply concerned your eldest son is having a hard time coping with Phil's death. And with him dealing with depression he feared Frank would share the same fate as his grandfather."

"Mr. Hardy was just as concerned for Joe that he would follow suit with his brother with them being so close."

"Yes, that is my concern too." Laura quickly explained to the doctor about Joe finally breaking down, and Frank refusing to breakdown.

"It is so hard to see him like this. But, I promised not to push and let Frank be the one to make the first move."

"I remember from the first time I met Frank and Joe. They're selfless and concern when it comes to the wellbeing of someone else, rather than them themselves." Dr Reese said, recalling her meeting with the brothers. "It took some work just to get them to set foot in my office. They wouldn't come and talk to me freely so Mr. Hardy came up with a little strategy to get them to come talk to me."

"We may have to come to strategizing again." She rubbed her hands together. "Right now, I'm just going to go in and assess the situation so I know the best way to help them."

With that Dr. Reese left to go see the boys. Twenty minutes later to Laura and Gertrude's surprise Dr. Reese came back to the waiting room.

"Dr. Reese, what's wrong, did you talk to them?" Laura asked at once.

"I did. I went in to see them, Joe started to talk but then stopped because Frank refused to open up to me. I did let them know that I'm here when they're ready."

"That's it." Laura snapped, "you're going to do nothing" She demanded, "Please help my boys."

"Mrs. Hardy," Dr. Reese put hand on her shoulder, 'by no means I'm not going to quit on them. I want to help them."

"It's just Frank has to want to talk, right now he's not ready." Dr. Reese said reassuring the mother.

"If we push him too far. it might do him more harm than good, and as for Joe I think you're right. I think it goes back to that close 'or' special bond, they have, He's going to follow Frank's lead. In order to get to Joe, we'll have to go through Frank."


	32. Chapter 32

**Hello, so sorry for the delay I finally have some time off after a crazy busy thanksgiving week and I've been working my story here. Thank you racey losh, for sending a kind post it's very encouraging when people send reviews letting you know how much you like their stories, makes the writers want to keep writing and don't worry I will never abandon my stories :)**

Aftermath chapter 32

It was later in the evening, the boys were alone in their room again, Joe lifted his head off his pillow and took another glance over at Frank laying on his bed, his eyes were still closed but, Joe knew he wasn't sleeping.

"Frank?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"That speech you made me about us needing to stop being Hayden's victims and, take back control of our lives. Do you mean it or, were you feeding me bullshit?"

Frank's eyes popped open. He quickly propped up on his elbows and turned his head blinking at his brother's bluntness. "What was that?"

"Did you mean it or not?"

"Yes, I meant it."

"Then why did you turn down Dr. Reese's offer to help you? I almost did...I was ready to talk to her."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because of you."

Frank raised his eyebrows, as his brother continued, "You confuse me. You do the exact opposite of what you tell me. Why is it okay for me to cry and not you?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

"I broke down like a baby in Mom's arms." Joe's voice slowly deflated. He touched his bandaged leg, "I try to be strong for you, I'm sorry, guess I'm weak...it's not very manly."

Frank's heart broke after hearing him say that. "There's no need to apologize, Joe, I'm glad you broke down with Mom. And you're not weak, in fact it proves you're more of a man then I am. "

"Then what is it? We've always had our special talks where I'm usually the one with a problem and, you're the one listening to me vent. And I always feel better afterward. For once let me do the same for you. So please talk to me."

That was true anytime Joe had a problem and needed to talk. They've spent many nights sometimes into the wee hours of the morning and talk it out until Joe felt better. And the situation was reversed and this time with Frank being the one with the problem and Joe wanting to help.

"Okay, I'll try to explain," Frank nodded. "It is just so frustrating when someone tells me, that I need to cry. It feels..." He paused to think of the right words to say, "Like, I'm being forced into it. How can I express my feelings when I don't understand it myself? I'm still trying to figure things out. Maybe it's the depression that's making me feel this way."

He swallowed a lump in his throat, "And...Maybe I am scared of losing control of myself...what if I let go, what if I can't stop, Joe." He felt as though he was going to tear up now. Feeling hypocritical, he quickly changed the subject before that happened.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Frank replied as he leaned back against his pillow, running a hand over his tired face. 'I'm tired."

Joe noted his eyes were closed. "Frank?" He whispered, he was really starting to worry about him.

To hear his big brother and protector admit he was afraid to show his feelings...was huge! It made him want to help him more than anything; he hated this thing...this depression that has wedged itself between him and Frank. He didn't know how but, somehow, someway he was going to help Frank fight this thing.

"Frank." He tried again. However, the silence was all he got from him. Joe quietly watched his brother's chest rise up and down, a few minutes later he heard him breathing steady. This time he was sleeping.

"Don't shutdown on me please." Joe laid back on his pillow blinking back tears, Damn he couldn't lose him, soon Joe drifted off crying himself to sleep.

Frank woke from his deep sleep turning, he saw to see that Joe was sound asleep. "I'm sorry, little brother..." He turned his eyes up at the ceiling lost in thought. Suddenly Frank felt pressure building up inside of him.

"Frank."

Quickly wiping away the tears, Frank glanced up just in time to catch Dr. Bryce walking into the room. "Dr. Bryce."

"I came in to check up on my two favorite patients." The doctor walked over to see Joe, who was still asleep and oblivious to the quick check up on him.

After he finished he turned to Frank. "Sound asleep, it still amazes me on how your brother can sleep through almost anything. " Dr. Bryce chuckled lightly trying to lighten the mood.

"yeah," Frank grinned and nodded slowly. "By the way, how's he doing?'

"Joe he's doing just fine, no more swelling of his leg. In fact, I've scheduled a physical therapy appointment for tomorrow. So we can get him up moving around."

"That's good news. At least something is going right for us, for a change."

"How about you, any pain in your chest?" Dr. Bryce casually asked coming over to the older Hardy brother.

"A little, but it's tolerable." Frank rubbed at his chest. He said looking at his sleeping brother. "I guess our disagreement added stress on my heart. And now he's upset with me."

"May I ask what the disagreement was about?"

For some reason Frank felt the pain in his chest was easing up and felt comfortable talking to the doctor. Maybe it was the fact that he knew he and Joe for so long.

"Well for one I refuse to let go of my feelings and two I turned down Dr. Reese's offer of help."

"Yes, she told me. That's one of the reasons I came in here."

Suddenly feeling guarded by that statement, Frank grumbled, folding his arms to his chest. "Are you starting on me too?"

"No," The doctor shook his head. "You're a very intelligent guy Frank; you have to decide that for yourself. I will tell you this, Dr. Reese is good at what she does," he touched a hand to his chest. "All I ask is that you don't close the door entirely on her offer to help you."

"You have friends and family who love and care for you very much, I know this guy over here sure does." He nodded in Joe's direction, "We want you to get better."

Frank looked at Joe again, he heaved a sigh, "Fine, how about I leave the door open a crack."

The doctor smiled. "Sounds like you've made an intelligent decision already."

Frank sat up and swung his legs over the bed. He sat on the edge, his mind all at once flashed back to the comment Joe made before their mother and aunt's visit. "What if fighting for justice means crossing a line we don't want to cross in order to protect the ones we love." His determined thoughts wouldn't let go of that comment.

He began rubbing at his chest it willing the pain to go away. But his emotions were swirling around fighting each other to get to the surface, and so far anger was winning.

Hayden's face came to mind. This whole thing was his fault; he wanted the bastard to feel the pain that he inflicted on everyone. He could feel his anger building to the point where he could almost kill someone. And it scared him.

No, no, stop, he shook his head, you can't think that way...that's Hayden's way of thinking...you are not like him...Damn it, you're not!

Then Frank's mind latched onto Bartend, and Henry. He wanted to strangle the life out of the lawyer for almost taking his little brother's life. His anger intensified when his mind shifted to Henry Jacobs. Seth and Phil lost their lives because of him. Maybe he couldn't do anything about Hayden or Bartend at the moment but, maybe he could have a chat with Hayden Jr.

He asked the doctor casually. "Is there any word on Henry?"

"Uh, yeah, he's out of surgery." Dr. Bryce hesitated to answer at first, at the abrupt change in conversation, "He's lucky it was just a flesh wound. We patched up his arm and he's been moved to a room. You're father and the police will be questioning him here in a little bit."

Hearing that perked the teen right up. Frank asked curiously. "Would it be okay if I took a little walk? I'm tired of seeing the walls in this room."

"Well, let me give you a quick check up to see how you're doing, first." The doctor nodded slowly.

After a quick check up, he was happy to report that Frank's heart was showing signs of improvement; however he still needed to get plenty of rest and not add stress to his heart. "Okay, you may take your walk, just don't over do it, no more than five, ten minutes. We want to get you back on your feet too."

He knew the Hardy brothers long enough to know, they could be mischievous at times. He could just see the wheels turning in his patient's head. "I'd advise you not to go looking for Henry. Let your dad and the police handle him."

"Alright." Frank simply said. With that the doctor nodded and left Frank to his thoughts.

Mauling over the doctor's advice, 'rest and not add stress to your heart.' He couldn't rest now, there was only one way to get rid of his stress, he looked over to see his brother still sleeping, 'do whatever it takes to keep everyone he loves safe.'

He knew what had to be done. Frank took a deep breath and climbed out of his bed and went over to the closet and changed out of his hospital gown and into a pair of gray sweatpants and white t-shirt. Lastly he slipped on a pair of slippers and quietly walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Officer Baker asked, greeting him outside the room. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Just going for a walk to stretch my legs." well, that was half true. He did want to stretch his legs.

The officer looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. Dr. Bryce gave me the okay. Will you keep an eye on Joe for me?" He asked Officer Baker. "He's asleep, if he wakes up and I'm not there, he'll panic. I'll be back, I promise."

"Well, alright then." The officer reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you." Frank started to walk away then stopped, "Oh by the way is Con here by chance?"

" he is. The Chief ordered him to guard Henry Jacobs's room. Why do you ask?"

Frank smiled. "I just wanted to thank him for what he did for Joe. And of course I thank you too. He wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for you." Frank truly was grateful for their heroic act in saving Joe's life.

"Well you're welcome; we were just doing our job." The officer replied kindly. "I'm glad he's going to be okay. And you as well." Then he added sympathetically, "I'm sorry to hear about your friend."

"Again, thank you." Frank cleared his throat. "Now where did you say Con was?"

"Take the elevator down to the second floor..."

(OOOO)

The elevator stopped on the second floor, Frank stepped out as soon as the doors slid open. Luckily, the floor wasn't too busy, He made his way down the hallway and past the nurse's station and immediately spotted Con standing outside of a room.

Con's eyes grew the size of quarters when he saw the brown haired Hardy brother making his way up to him. "What on earth are you doing here? Should you be out of bed?"

"I'm just stretching my legs," Frank replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. 'And, thought I'd come to see you."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I wanted to thank you personally for saving Joe's life."

"I'm just glad he's going to be okay." The officer replied thoughtfully. "For a moment, I didn't think we'd get him here in time." He still couldn't get over finding the younger Hardy brother bleeding to death in the backseat of Ryan Hayden's car.

"Con, you wouldn't by chance happen to find out if the fingerprints on the brick and drawing were a match?"

The question snapped Con out of his thoughts, he looked at him. His brown eyes were filled with hurt and anger. He should have known there was an ulterior motive for Frank being here.

"Frank, are you okay?" He's always known Frank to be a level headed person, but he wasn't sure what was going on inside his head, because he knew he was going through a lot. He didn't want to see him get into trouble. Hopefully he could try to reason with him.

"Yep, fine." He answered and quickly asked, "So did they match?"

"I can't answer that."

"Please, Con, for my own peace of mind. I have to know what happened to Phil and Seth."

There was silence between the two. Then finally, Con huffed out, "Yes, they match."

"What about the gun?" Frank prompted.

"Yes."

"Is that the same gun he threatened to kill me with?"

"It is."

"So, it's true then, Henry did in fact murder Seth and Phil Cohen." Frank concludes, anger was boiling to the surface. He had to do whatever it took to keep his friends, Callie, and family safe.

Con confirmed with a nod. "I'm sorry."

Frank went quiet for a second, but the officer could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"Con, I need a favor."

Con just narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "The answer is no."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask you."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea. And my answer is still no."

"Please, Let me in to see Henry." Frank whispered, the look in his brown eyes was serious.

Con quickly glanced in either direction to make sure they were alone in the hallway. He whispered back. "That is not a good idea. I know you're going through a lot right now."

"Please I need to see him."

"Frank, do you know what you're asking me? I've put my badge on the line for you boys, so many times. I can't do it anymore." Con tried to reason with him. "I'm already in hot water with the Chief. He's on his way here with your father to question Henry. In fact they could walk in at any time. If you are caught in there with Henry then we're both screwed. Let them handle it. I won't even mention that you were here. Go back to your room. Go back to Joe."

"I'm sorry for putting you in this position, this will be the last time. " Frank understood very well of what he was asking and hated it, being a cop means everything to Con, and has risked his career many times, for him and Joe.

"What are you going to do?" Con just looked at Frank as he debated with himself. Frank was not going to let up, His mind was set on this. No, wait... Wait! Was he actually considering this crazy idea?

"Just to talk to him, that's it, I promise."

He sighed wearily. "Okay, Frank, five minutes is all you get, don't do anything you'll regret," He shook his head and confirmed, "or I'll arrest you myself."

Frank held out his hand to Con. "You have my word."

Con looked around to make sure no one was around. He opened the door as Frank quietly slipped inside. There he found Henry asleep in his bed with a white bandage around his arm.

(OOOO)

All at once Henry woke up with a start, his blue eyes widen in shock to see Frank Hardy standing beside him. "Nur..." He started to shout, but Frank clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't say a word." Frank warned him.

Henry immediately jerked his head away from his hand. He winced as he reached for the call button with his other hand. "Get out." He hissed. His thumb hovered over the button.

"Not until we have a heart to heart chat." Frank coolly replied pulling the call button out of his hand.

Their eyes locked on to each other with intensity. Henry began breathing heavily. "I have nothing to say to you," He growled, "Except, I hate you."

The older Hardy boy took a calming breath and reminded himself of his word to Con to stay in control. "Oh, I have plenty to say to you." He pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. He casually leaned back in his chair, rubbed his chin and began talking to him as if reminiscing about old times.

"You know when I first met you, I felt sorry for you. Joe told me he had this friend who was in trouble; this friend was being abused and bullied by his teacher, that friend turned out to be you. The teacher turned out to be your bastard father. And I wanted to help stop that piece of shit from hurting you...because not only was he hurting you...he was hurting other kids including my little brother. And hurting Joe is a BIG, no no, in my book."

He went on keeping his voice firm and steady as Henry continued to glare at him. 'I really wanted to help you, I tried, until this crazy obsession you have with Joe came about changed all that. Again hurting Joe is a BIG, no no."

Frank ran a hand through his hair and said, "The whole dyeing your hair blond to look like Joe; the superhero thing bothered me a great deal. Plus, there was your constant need to be around him. I began to see you as a dangerous threat to my brother."

'Then you began to get violently aggressive with my friends because of your crazy obsession with my brother. But, your biggest threat was with me standing in your way getting to Joe. You accused me of spreading lies about you to Joe, in fear of me taking him away from you. And all the while you were the one who set yourself up in spilling out the truth. You tried to kill me."

"Sticking a gun in my face was your biggest mistake," Frank stabbed a finger to his chest; He leaned forward with fire in his eyes, staring right at the boy. "You want to take me on, go for it. You can hate me all you want, I don't give a fuck!"

Rage began coursing through his body. All he could think about was all the people that this little lunatic had hurt, Mr. and Mrs. Morton, Chet, Joe, Seth and Phil. He spat. "But, when you hurt my friends and family, that's where I draw the line! I've always consider myself as a forgiving person willing to help someone who did me wrong, but not this time."

He felt pressure building up inside of him, he couldn't help himself. "Phil Cohen was my best friend. And you killed him and his cousin Seth. They were good guys who were about to go to college to work towards their chosen careers. They were going to make a big difference in this crazy world. Now they'll never have that chance. Not only that but you robbed them of ever falling in love with someone, get married and have families of their own. Their parents will never see their grandchildren, because you took that away from them."

"I can assure you, Henry," He added lastly, "that Joe and I will be very adamant about making sure your pathetic sorry ass goes to jail for a long time. No deals, special treatment or plea bargains...none of it! We will make sure Phil and Seth Cohen get the justice they deserve!"

"And one last thing, Henry, so listen closely. Stay away from Joe or you'll regret it!"

"What in the hell is going on in here?!" Chief Collig's voice bellowed out from be hide him.

"Frank?" his father's voice called out.

Damn it. Frank cringed like a scolded child. He closed his eyes and then opened them. He huffed and turned to see his father, Carl Sims, Con, and Chief Collig standing in the doorway. They did not look happy at all.

"Frank, what are you doing in here?" Fenton asked as calmly as he could, he was surprised to find his son in here. This was not good.

Frank slowly stood up and turned to the gentlemen in the room. He cleared his throat, "just talking." He answered him.

A devilish smile spread across Henry's face. Now who fucked up? He thought, this couldn't have happened at a better time. He began working up tears. "He's lying!" Henry pointed an accusing finger at Frank. "He threatened to kill me!"

"I did not!" Frank shot back defensively.

"Frank, don't say another word." Carl Sims advised quickly. He was just as shocked as everyone else.

He was working on preparing for the trial which was rapidly falling apart. But he wasn't giving up yet...there was still a chance things would go in their favor and Hayden will be convicted...it was a chance, a very slim chance. He came in here to offer his legal services to Henry to offer him a deal in the hopes that he would still agree to testify against Hayden. Fenton had brought him up to speed on what's going on with his sons. Finding Frank in here was not good.

"I won't ask how you got in here." The Chief grumbled although he already had a pretty good idea, he glanced at Con beside him.

"Chief, don't blame Con it was all me." Frank said casting his apologetic eyes at a very pissed off friend quickly coming to the officer's defense. "I'll take full responsibility for this."

The Chief turned to the boy's father he huffed out steadily, "Fenton, handle this. Get him out of here now."

Fenton nodded, "Frank, let's go."

"Dad, I swear I didn't..."

"Frank not a word." Fenton ordered. He went up to his son placed a hand on his shoulder, and began to escort him out of the room. He led him to a small lounge area no one was occupying at the moment.

He asked once they were out of earshot. "Son, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't threaten to kill him, I swear!" Frank grumbled whirled around to his father. "Con told me the evidence from the fingerprints on the brick, drawing, and gun all belong to Henry, I guess I just lost it."

Fenton calmly took a breath before saying, "Son, you pretty much did, we heard you yelling at him to stay away from Joe or he'll regret it from out here. Do you understand how bad this looks? God forbid, if something bad had happened to Henry in there, everyone would be pointing fingers at you."

"I'm sorry for that." Frank calmly took a breath realizing his mistake, "I really did go in there with the intentions of talking to him." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wanted to make it clear to him that he is to stay away from Joe. He needed to know who Phil and Seth were...that they were good guys...who didn't deserve what happened to them."

Fenton looked into his son's tired and sad eyes. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a light squeeze. "Frank, I understand what you're going through. Right now you're not in the right frame of mind. I mean you're not as levelheaded as you usually are. You shouldn't be here."

"Which pains me to have to tell you that I don't want you anywhere near this case?" He wearily replied, "In fact, I think detective work for you will be put on hold for the time being."

"What?" Frank's mouth dropped in shock. He was not prepared for that. He looked at his father as he turned the words over in his head.

"Dad, please don't do that. Don't take that away...detective work is what I need right now. I need it to keep me from falling apart. I need it to keep me sane." Frank protested the idea. He didn't like that at all. "I made a mistake...okay a few mistakes...it won't happen again. I promise!"

"Frank, I'm not doing this to punish you; I'm doing this because it's what's best." His father countered firmly. "You're health is a top priority. Your only job right now is to rest and get yourself well." He hated seeing the disappointment on his face, it was killing him. Again he told himself this was the right thing.

"Your mother called and told me you turned down Dr. Reese's help."

Frank tried to argue. "I had this same conversation with Dr. Bryce. I told him I'd think about it."

This was the part Fenton hated, but he knew this part of the strategizing that he, Laura, both Dr. Bryce and Reese came up with would work. Frank needed a wakeup call and this was it. "Do you want to become a fully licensed detective and work for me?"

"Yes, of course I do. You know that's what Joe and I dreamed of."

"Then I strongly suggest you accept Dr. Reese's help."

"Dad, please..."

Fenton continued on not budging on the matter, "As of right now you and, your brother are restricted from detective work until you're both medically and, mentally cleared. If you disobey the restriction then you won't be solving any more mysteries until after you both graduate college."

Frank knew by the serious tone and the expression on Fenton's face there was no point in arguing with him, "Fine," He grumbled, folding his arms to his chest. He turned around went over to the window to take a breath to calm down.

Once calm he turned back to Fenton. "Dad, I am sorry." He apologized sincerely this time.

"I guess, I wasn't thinking." Frank slowly sank into a chair, placing his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "I messed up, I really messed up. Joe's going to be pissed when he finds out."

"Your brother will get over it, eventually. This is for his own good as well." Fenton said, sitting down next to him rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

"I love you so much it pains me to see you like this." Fenton began to tear up, he welcomed it to show his son it was okay. His voice cracked as he said, "I know what you're going through I've been through this, depression is a hard battle to fight. I'm doing everything I can to help you."

"It's okay to take some time for yourself, you need to allow yourself to grieve, for Phil, and for you."

Frank straightened up and looked at him. "I'll go see Dr. Reese, but only when I'm ready, okay? Can you give me that?"

"Fair enough." Fenton smiled and gave him a light slap on the back.

Frank just nodded his response.

"Speaking of Joe, Does he know you left the room?" Fenton asked curiously. His mind switched to his youngest in surprise that he let his big brother out of his sight, and vise versa.

"No, he was asleep when I left."

"Why don't you go back? You know if he wakes up and, doesn't see you there he will panic."

Frank rubbed his tired eyes. He gave his father a nod. He reluctantly got to his feet. As remove Fenton did the same and walked with his son to the elevator.

Frank pressed the button, once the elevator arrived he stepped inside. He looked at his father as the doors closed taking him back up to his floor.

Once Frank had left, Fenton took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. He was not looking forward to facing the Chief. Once calm he turned around to go back to the room.

When he got there his blood began to boil when he saw who was standing inside Henry's room, none other then, Daniel Bartend. The sleazy ass lawyer saw the detective and flashed him an arrogant smile, he straightens his tie and dressed in his executive grey style suit with his briefcase in hand.

(OOOO)

In the elevator, Frank was lost in thought of his father restricting them from detective work. Frank took a deep breath, He knew what had to be done, break the news to Joe and then take a big step and accept Dr. Reese's help. It was the right thing to do.

The elevator stopped on the top floor his room was on, the doors slid open and Frank stepped out...only to come face to face with Ryan Hayden.

Frank couldn't believe his eyes. Hayden's younger brother was standing in front of him. This man was wanted for murder of two Bayport police officers, Mark Jenko and Carla Miller with a list of other charges. He also played a part in Joe's abduction...there was only one reason for him being here. To kill Joe because, Joe knows Ryan and Hayden murdered their abusive parents seventeen years ago. Oh my God Joe!

Then without warning, Ryan elbowed Frank right into his gut. The older Hardy boy doubled over in pain as Ryan took off running kicked open the door leading to the stairwell. Frank quickly recovery recovered and took off running after Ryan Hayden.

(oooo)

Rage began coursing through Fenton's body; when he saw Bartend. The detective asked a very pissed off Chief Collig. "What is he doing here?"

"We were in the middle of questioning this young man." The Chief nodded at Henry. He growled keeping his eyes on the lawyer. "Then this arrogant ass dropped in."

"I am here representing my client." Bartend answered instead.

"Your client!" Carl repeated, dumbfounded.

"That's right," Henry spat, "you're no longer my lawyer because you're fired. You're friends with the Hardys...and Frank Hardy came in here threaten to kill me."

Bartend replied sternly. "Well, it's a good thing I showed up. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, doesn't Detective Hardy?" He glared at Fenton.

"What does is that supposed to mean?" Fenton seethed in anger.

"Taking the law into your hands. It's obvious too with your ties to the Bayport police department, rubbing noses with the Chief of police here. That's why my other client Hayden isn't getting a fair trial...and its all because of you Detective. And now your son thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants because of who his daddy is…"

In a flash Fenton lunged at the sleazy lawyer, grabbing him by the throat and shoving the man up against the wall. "You can attack me all you want," he snarled, "but not my sons."

Carl and the two officers in the room watching the tense scene closely swore they'd saw the young lawyer flinch.

Bartend swallowed a lump in his throat just looked at Fenton and said nothing. He knew the truth was close to coming out, that he was the one who shot his other son. He had to keep up his part of the plan with the hopes that Carolyn follows through on her part.

"Get him off of me! He's crazy!" Bartend bellowed.

"Shut Up!" Fenton fired back quickly, tightening his grip around his neck.

"Fenton stop!" the Chief ordered.

Carl watched stunned by his friend's actions; this was way out of his character. Instantly, Con and the Chief had to pry the Detective's iron-like grip off the lawyer's neck.

Fenton took a deep breath in order to calm down and slowly backed away, keeping his angry eyes locked on Bartend.

Bartend quickly composed himself he straightens his tie, and picked up his briefcase. "Well this looks like déjà vu of what happened at the police station." A smirk of pure arrogance slid across the lawyer's face, "Thanks to you, Detective, this time I will be taking legal action. You and the Bayport police department."

He turned to Chief Collig. "I will have your badges."

"Mr. Bartend," Chief Collig fired back, "before you go making threats towards my department and Detective Hardy, let me ask you something, " He cleared his throat, "Or better yet, maybe your young client here would like to explain how he got his hands on a 38 magnum revolver?"

Henry's face paled he swallowed nervously, but said nothing.

Bartend cleared his throat. "Now is not the time for questioning...I need time to council with my client."

The Senior Officer nodded towards Henry. "Wouldn't you like to know what your client is being charged with...Mr. Bartend?" He went on not giving the lawyer a chance to answer. "Two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon."

Con's mind once again flashed back to him and Baker finding Joe literally bleeding to death in the backseat of Ryan Hayden's car. The nerve of this little arrogant piece of shit is going to stand here making threats against the BPD department. After what he did...and that didn't even come close to what had happened to Phil Cohen...this kid's death had struck a cord with him, he had known all of Frank and Joe's friends, pretty much as long as he's known Frank and Joe. He has watched these kids grow up over the years.

Every Friday night without fail, he'd go to Prito's on his break to grab a bite to eat. And there would be Frank and Joe sitting at a table surrounded by their friends all laughing and joking around having a good time like how a group of teenager should be.

The officer couldn't hold back his anger, "Seth Cohen's windpipe had been crushed as a result of being strangled, before being struck multiple times in the head with a brick that killed him. Phil Cohen was shot to death with what we believe is a 38 magnum revolver. Your young client here attempted to shoot Frank Hardy with this same gun, luckily he didn't succeed."

"And the interesting part is that this same gun was registered under your name. And before you argue." Con picked up anger riddled in his voice. "you should know, we have all the evidence we need to back up our statements."

Fenton was working hard to keep his rage at bay. He almost lost both of his sons because of this lawyer, and sadly Phil Cohen lost his life because of this man. Fenton folded his arms to his chest and countered evenly. "We also have reason to believe Bartend, that you were involved in helping Cindy Hayden and Karen Marshall break your other client Hayden out of the Bellevue hospital. And that you also had a hand in Joe's abduction. And the same gun Henry had that is registered to you, we believe was used in the shooting of my son."

"This brings us back to the Chief's first question. How the hell did Henry get his hands on your gun?"

Bartend felt all eyes on him waiting for him to respond. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead, Come on Carolyn...damn it, where are you? He cursed.

Oh, what the hell, my career's over anyway, he confessed, "I fucked up Jack's plan by shooting Joe which wasn't part of his plan. It was either I kill Joe, or Jack would kill me. So I gave Henry the gun to do the job for me..."

'Beep!Beep!"

"What's that?" Carl shouted.

"It's the fire alarm!" Chief Collig replied.

Dr. Bryce ran into the room at top speed, "We have to evacuate the hospital there's a fire in the elevator shaft on the second floor!"

"elevator," Fenton gasped his face paled. Oh my God Frank!

(OOOO)

'Beep!'Beep!"

Joe woke up startled from the fire alarm. He smelled smoke...he saw flames flickering in the hallway. He sat up quickly the movement made his leg hurt. He glanced over at Frank's bed it was empty!

"Frank!" Suddenly, Joe grabbed his chest and began gasping for breath. "I... can't... breathe!"

'Beep!'Beep!"

"Frank! Frank!"

Officer Baker hurriedly stepped into the room with a male orderly. "Joe, we have to go. the hospital is being evacuated, there's a fire in the elevator shaft on the second floor right below us and it's spreading up our way, so we're going to help carry you down the stairwell."

"What? w-where are my parents...my aunt...Frank...where's Frank?"

"I don't know, " the officer replied regrettably, "I know Frank went for a walk he should've been back ten maybe twenty minutes ago."

'What..." Suddenly, Joe grabbed his chest and began gasping for breath. "I have to... find them!" He began to stumble out of bed he winced in pain when he moved his wounded leg,

Officer Baker and the orderly held on to the boy's shoulder to support him. "Frank...we have to find Frank. What if he's trapped somewhere...what if he's hurt!" Joe cried, jerking away from them.

the Orderly caught Joe before he fell to the floor. "Your parents and your brother are probably already outside," He said desperately, "like we need to be. Let's go."

"I'm not leaving without Frank!"

"Joe, listen!" Officer Baker instructed hoping the teen would see reason. "for some reason the sprinkler system isn't working. If we don't get off this floor we're going to be trapped up here. "

"No! No! Not without my brother!" Joe shouted, he was freaking out...where was he? Frank where are you? He put his hand to his chest the familiar ache in his heart was back again giving him that feeling someone is going to die. God, please don't let it be Frank.

"Frank!"

(OOOO)

Frank ran down the stairwell after Ryan Hayden. His chest was pounding and he was huffing and puffing all the way. Ryan reached the bottom step and made his way to an exit door, Frank soon reached the bottom step and made his way out the exit door and into the starry night.

He ran after Ryan through the hospital courtyard, and down a few more blocks. He almost reached the younger Hayden brother...when a black car skidded to a halt on the corner, the passenger door flew open and the younger Hayden brother jumped in as the black car disappeared down the street and into the night.

Damn! Frank stopped bent over and planted his hands on his knees to catch his breath, he suddenly clutched his chest the familiar ache in his heart, Joe...Joe's in trouble...I'm coming Joe! I'm coming!

Frank made his way back and stopped dead in his tracks as the hospital came into his view. He saw black smoke billowing from a second floor window. All of the sudden, a loud BOOM! the second floor exploded into a fiery inferno lighting up the night sky, windows completely blown out and debris flying and littering the ground.

Frank took off running towards the hospital clutching his chest as the pain began to increase in his heart, his father...his mother...aunt, Sam were all in there! His eyes were fixed on the big, gaping hole on the second floor. The floor to the room he shared with Joe was just above it. Joe! Oh my God!

He could hear sirens in the far distance. Firefighters already there were working tirelessly, and vigorously to put out the fire. People running out of the entrance doors.

Frank saw Chief Collig and his police officers worked vigorously at keeping the many onlookers away. About thirty yards away, a triage was set up by medical personnel to treat people in need of medical attention. Several ambulances were driving off, taking patients to the nearest hospitals.

This was so surreal, Frank thought. It was almost as if a bomb went off that's the only way he could describe what he was seeing. He began running faster and faster...feet hitting pavement...god, the pain in his chest hurt! He didn't care...Joe was in there!

I'm coming Joe! I'm coming! He immediately noticed body bags lined up in a row on one side of the parking lot and felt his stomach churn at the thought that one of those bodies might be his family. He shook the thought out of his head. No!

He looked around frantically in search of his parents, his aunt. No one! Even though it was dark out he was trying to look for a familiar face with as much lighting he could see.

Finally. He spotted Con by the barricades. "Con!" He shouted running up to the officer.

"Frank!" The officer called going over to the Hardy boy.

"Con, where are they?! What happened?"

Con grabbed him by the shoulders. "Frank, calm down."

"Con, where is my family, my parents! Aunt Gertrude! Sam! Joe! Please tell me they made it out!"

"Frank calm down."

"Damn it! Con tell me!" Frank clutched his chest as the pain...damn it hurts! Frank looked around again he couldn't find them...his family...where are they?

"FRANK!"

He stopped at the voice calling his name. He knew that voice.

"FRANK!" He knew that voice too.

"Frank!" Followed by another familiar voice.

He whirled around and sure enough his eyes landed on his parents and aunt, those familiar voices he heard belonged to them. He broke free from Con's grip and ran towards them. He ran with tears in his eyes and flew into his mother's waiting arms.

"Oh thank God." He cried in her arms. He was never so happy to have his mother's arms around him then he was at this moment. He cried. "it's okay." He heard her soothing voice as she fought back tears of her own.

Laura held her eldest in her arms, tears poured down her face. "Thank God you're okay. I love you so much." She kissed his cheek and gave him another hug before releasing him.

Frank hugged his Aunt Gertrude. He was so glad to see her. "Oh thank goodness," She hugged him tight. She released him kissed him on the cheek and wiped away his tears.

Frank sniffed back tears, he turned around to his father letting his strong arms wrap around him pulling him into his embrace. "Dad, thank God you...guys made it out." He heard his father crying...and he broke with him...he let his tears flow. It felt good to let go.

Once all cried out the Hardy men pulled away, Fenton kept his son at arms linked. "I was so scared you were trapped in the elevator." He couldn't hold back the tears seeping from his eyes. He was so relieved to see his son.

"What do you mean trapped in the elevator? I got out of the elevator not more then ten, twenty minutes ago."

"there was fire in the elevator shaft on the second floor it began to spread rapidly, the sprinkler system weren't working either, the firefighters are having to evacuate people from the stairwell. We got out before the explosion." His father explained.

Frank looked at the inferno behind him. "How did this happened...Ryan! I saw Ryan Hayden!"

"You saw Ryan?"

"I did. Do you think this could be deliberate?"

"It's a possibility. We won't know until after an investigation." Fenton nodded. "Where did you see Ryan?"

Frank quickly explained to Fenton of running into Hayden's younger brother on their floor...chasing after him down the stairwell and outside down the hospital courtyard and down a few blocks only losing him as he jumped into a black car.

"Dad, I am sorry, I know I'm restricted from detective work and I shouldn't have gone after him, but I couldn't help it! It was on instinct."

Fenton smiled inwardly hearing Frank give his explanation. He could just see his detective instinct kicking in, even already discussing possible theories with him. That gave him a sign his son was starting to sound and act like the Frank Hardy he's always been. He had hope that Frank would do the right thing and seek Dr. Reese's help. He wanted more than anything to take the boys off restriction. He had a feeling he was going to need them.

Frank continued on breaking into his father's thoughts, "There's only one reason Ryan was here on our floor...one reason he would come out of hiding...to kill Joe..." Frank's voice trailed off. "Oh my God, Joe!" A pain shooting through his chest caught him off guard and the elder Hardy boy fell to the ground panting for breath.

"Frank!" His mother screamed.

Frank took a few deep breaths before attempting to get back to his feet. Again, the pain shooting through his chest was severe enough to knock him to his knees. "Where's...Joe!"

"Frank," Fenton knelt down beside him.

"Dad, where is he..."

"I don't know." Fenton's voice filled with heavy emotion as paramedics came over to attend to Frank.

Fenton looked up at the inferno of the hospital. Frank cast his eyes up in the same direction...of the big, gaping hole on the second floor their room was just above it...he came to the same conclusion as his father...Joe was in there somewhere.

"No! Joe!" Frank cried. With a near-maniacal strength, he broke free from his father's grip and pushed the paramedics aside. "Joe, I'm coming!"

"Frank!" Fenton and Laura cried in horror as they watched him barreling across the parking lot, as if he was on a football field dodging people left and right.

Sam sidestepped to get in front of the boy, gripping his shoulders firmly. "Frank, you can't go in there! It's too dangerous!"

"Let me go, Sam!" Frank fired back, jerking away from Sam's grip. "Joe's in there! We got to get him out!" He ran straight towards the hospital. Only to be tackled to the ground. He started wrestling with his opponent.

"Get off me!"

"FRANK STOP!"

Frank realized his opponent was Biff. "Biff, let me go! Joe's in there!"

"It's too dangerous! Let the firefighters go in there. They'll get him out." Biff huffed as he continue to wrestle with Frank. This wasn't just any opponent, this was Frank Hardy a very determined opponent...there was only one thing on his mind...Joe was in trouble.

"Frank!" Callie cried, as she, Chet and Tony ran over to them. They came to see Frank and Joe only to find the hospital on fire and chaos all around.

"No! Joe! Joe!" Finally Frank broke free and started to make a run towards the hospital. He suddenly clutched his chest he didn't care if it hurt...Joe's in trouble...I'm coming Joe.

This time Fenton caught his distraught son, holding him in a tight grip.

"Dad...let me go...Joe's in there!" Frank screamed, trying to break free from his father's grip. " We have to get him out!

"Frank, you have to calm down first. And listen to me." Fenton said, steering him safely away from the hospital. "We have to let the firefighters find him. They will get him out."

"Dad, please," Frank whispered back softly as tears fell down his face, "I can't lose him. Not again...I can't do this again."

"Joe!" Frank went limp in his father's arms, crying hysterically. Fenton just wrapped his strong arms around his son, pulling him into a hug. It was killing him... seeing his eldest boy like this, and at the same time sick with worry about his youngest son.

Fenton's voice cracked as he whispered, "Please God not this time...please don't take Joe."

Soon Frank was joined by his mother and aunt, and his friends gathered around embracing him and each other as they cried and comforted each other.

Frank sat on the ground and brought his legs up to his chest and his arms tucked tight around them. His tears streaming down his face as his eyes were fixed on the part of the top floor hospital was gone eaten up by the flames right where the room he and Joe shared.

"Don't do this to me little brother." he whispered. "Don't you dare leave me?"

Callie immediately sat down beside him. she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Frank, Don't underestimate Joe. He's a fighter remember," She sniffed back a sob. "He fought his way to get back to you...you can bet he'll do it again. Don't give up on him just yet." She prayed she was right...God please bring Joe back to us.

"I shouldn't have left Joe, Callie. I made a mistake...I left him." Frank voice cracked as he whispered to her. Callie wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. Frank leaned closed to her allowing her to comfort him. She just let him vent.

Tears began to stream down his face. "I can feel… him." He grabbed at his chest, his voice heavy with emotion as he spoke. "Joe is…alive." He sniffed back tears. "He's in... there somewhere. He's scared...needs me...I can't get to him…."

Then, someone shouted, "Medic! We need a Medic!", brought everyone to attention.

Two firefighters came out of a side door with Officer Baker and a male orderly... as a third firefighter was carrying someone over his shoulder...Frank's eyes zeroed on the person's blond hair... it may be dark out but he knew that blond head anywhere, Joe!

Frank shot up off the ground towards his brother.

"Watch his left leg!" The firefighter that was carrying Joe instructed, as the paramedics laid his blond haired brother on a stretcher.

Fenton and Laura and everyone else were on Frank's heels as they ran towards the youngest Hardy boy.

One of the paramedics placed an oxygen mask over Joe's nose and mouth.

Frank was at Joe's side in an instant. he looked his brother over on the stretcher. "Is he alright?" he asked one of the paramedics.

'He breathed in a lot of smoke so we're giving him oxygen to clear out his lungs. He also ripped out his stitches. It'll have to be patched up." the paramedic answered, he began wrapping the bloody wound with a white bandage to stop the bleeding.

"Joe, baby," Laura said softening her voice and trying to hold back the tears that were currently welling up in her eyes.

"Joe, it's Dad," Fenton's voice cracked. Feeling the need to touch his son, he gently reached out and touched the side of Joe's face. 'Why isn't he awake?"

A male orderly who was sitting up in the back of an ambulance took off his oxygen mask. "He had to be sedated."

"What? Why?"

"He fought us, kicking and screaming, he refused to leave without Frank." Officer Baker said removing the given oxygen mask from his face. "It's a good thing we did." He added, "the second floor was already engulfed in flames. Our floor above it was about to go and by the time we got him to the stairwell the floor caved in. We met the firefighters about halfway down the stairwell."

The male orderly put in, "Even with that wounded leg of his, that kid gave us one hell of a fight, so we had no choice but to sedate him. He should be coming around here in anytime."

(OOOO)

"Hey, little brother." A voice came from somewhere in the darkness. Joe knew that voice.

Frank, I'm coming.

Joe slowly opened his eyes everything was dark and faces around him were fuzzy, there a few lights but he couldn't make out what they were...he smelled smoke...his mouth tasted like charcoal...he felt fresh air swish down his lungs every time he took a breath. There was something covering his nose and mouth.

He closed his eyes again and then opened them letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. As his vision cleared up he realized he was outside...it was dark. The sky was clouded with haze. What time was it? What was going on? What the hell is this on my face?

"Frank..." The name came out muffled. Joe began to get frustrated, trying to speak.

"It's okay Joe. It's just an oxygen mask to help you breathe." He heard Frank's soothing voice. "You inhaled a lot of smoke from the fire."

Joe could feel another swish of fresh air entered his lungs. Fire...what fire?...Fire the hospital fire! Oh my god Frank! He sat up quickly pulling off the oxygen mask he frantically looked around his surroundings...he was outside on a stretcher...it was night time...the movement made his leg hurt. He looked around again his eyes landed on his parents and his and aunt and his friends, finally...landing on his brother.

"Frank!" In a flash Joe shot off the stretcher and to his brother's arms; nearly knocking them both to the ground. Fenton and the paramedic caught them before they did.

"You were outside all this time!" Joe shouted...Then all at once Joe started crying. Instantly going into big brother mode, Frank pulled Joe to him and held him tight to his chest, without a word.

"Frank, I thought…I thought… lost you…" Joe whispered, tears running down his face.

"Joe, I..." Frank started to say, his voice heavy with emotion. As he held his little brother, Frank he felt the same. Tears ran down his face as his chin began to tremble, "God, I'd thought I lost you...I'm so sorry I left you. Oh God, I'm sorry."

Frank took in a sharp breath and sobbed once. That was all it took. Soon the tears began to pour down his face as his body shook uncontrollably. The brothers held each other as they cried.

Fenton and Laura stood by arms wrapped around each other, tears in their eyes as they watched their sons. "Finally" Fenton murmured as everyone stepped back to give their sons some privacy.

Sam came up to Fenton and whispered in his ear. "We have yet to locate Daniel Bartend and Henry, they're still missing."

* * *

 **(OOOOO) Hi, I this was an extra long chapter, but who doesn't love those, right? So if you like long chapters, that's what I like to right so get use to it. As a surprise there will be a epilogue hopefully soon still working out the kinks.**

 **I'd like thank Vivienne Joi, Frankenstein's Bride, Kae Lynne, t4swp, racey losh, Caranat, Kimba Kellie, Candylou, Cherylann Rivers, DusktoDawn, Drumboy100, for leaving me wonderful reviews** , **I apologies if I left anyone out for. And Thank you to those who are following, favorites, or just reading. And a big thank you to my beta reader for your amazing help on my story I'm learning a lot, can't wait to work with you again.**

 **(Please join me in prayer for NAS Pensacola Florida due to a shooting my heart goes out to the families.)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Here it is the last part of Aftermath it kind of short...I want to thank everyone again for your wonderful reviews, for following, favorites or just reading. I hope to have something for you soon, again if you don't hear from me in a while just know I'm working on the next story. Hope to see you then until we meet again, be safe and have A Merry Christmas and New Year :)**

epilogue

After recovering from the hellish two weeks, and trying to move past it, Frank was sitting on the edge of the pier by the docks along the waterfront on long Shore Road, after getting up out of bed around 5 this morning put on some sweats and went for a morning run.

He felt a cool breeze blew through his hair as he watched the beautiful sunrise along the water. He found himself lost in thought of these past few weeks.

Joe was recovering well from his ordeal. He started physical therapy which was helping him get back on his feet from his bullet wound to his leg.

He was giving the option to use a wheelchair to help him get around better, but oh no, not Joe he would have none of that, instead he chose to use rather demanded to use crutches, which he was using to stumble around the house, driving his mother and aunt crazy. A smile slid across his face at the thought, So yeah life in the Hardy house was alive again.

There was nothing slowing Joe down; his anxiety was better with fewer nightmares. Then Frank's eyes began to water at how close he came to losing his little brother, not once but, twice.

Frank's thoughts turned to the fire. So far the authorities believed the fire to have started in the elevator shaft...and the top suspect...Ryan Hayden.

Frank was so hoping his father would allow him and Joe to help with the investigation, but Fenton was dead set in on his restriction of them from investigating anything, until they were medically and, mentally cleared. Of course Joe was pissed as Frank had predicted when he learn of their father's restriction. But, his little brother slowly started to cool down when Frank told him the reason for the restriction. Joe had been glad Frank told Henry off. He would have done the same thing if he came face to face with the little lunatic, although Joe probably would've given him a black eye on top of it.

The boys learned from their father of the encounter with Bartend in Henry's room before the fire happened. But then during the whole chaos Daniel Bartend and Henry mysteriously disappeared.

The Cohen family decided to have a double funeral for their boys, it was the hardest day ever for Frank to say good bye to a dear friend. The family gave a touching tribute to Seth and Phil's life, they welcomed anyone who'd like to share stories about the boys. Some of their friends did share some stories, but Frank couldn't find in him to share anything. The memories he had of Phil would always be his, and that's the way he wanted to remember him. He was just glad he got through the funeral, with Joe, and Callie sitting beside him supporting him. He did allow himself to shed a few tears. He was learning to allow himself to let go.

But there was one thing Frank could do for Phil and Seth, to find Henry and Bartend bring them to justice, and Ryan Hayden as an added bonus. Frank took that big step and accepted Dr. Reese's help, and has been having counseling sessions with her on Wednesday mornings in her new office building, Joe has been going to see her as well. At first it was a slow process, she was good at her job helping them deal with their ordeal in their own way. Frank had returned to martial arts and early morning runs, while Joe was hitting the weights and going outside tossing the football with Biff.

There were a few more positive things that happened this week, One, his heart was okay and back to normal...no more chest pains! Thank God. And two, Frank was now a high school graduate, and on his way to Princeton in August. And three, 'Hardy and Sons' Detective Agency' was on the horizon.

If anything in during this whole case taught him anything it was that life was short and not waste a single moment. So he decided to take an even bolder step. He gave Callie her graduation present...a ring...and she said yes. They agreed to hold off wedding plans until after college. For now they were happy being engaged. Yes his future was on the right path.

Joe had a few positive things going for him as well, his little brother was now a high school senior and he finally asked Vanessa out and were definitely on their way to boyfriend and girlfriend status. The best part about it Joe was happy, and that made Frank happy.

Donna Morton moved back home to be with her family. Chet and his dad were thrilled to have her back, and they were working things out and once again becoming the close family they've always been. Frank was so happy for them. And they even had a new addition to their family a brown and black German Shepard puppy. The little guy was a runt of a litter of eight puppies a neighbor friend didn't have time to take care of him. So Chet offered to foster the puppy and ended up adopting him.

Chet named him Little Duke after the loss of his beloved dog Duke.

Do to extenuating circumstances regarding Daniel Bartend and Henry's disappearances and incompletion of the investigation the judge had no choice but to declare a mistrial. Jack Hayden got what he wanted, he was now a free man. The idea made everyone sick to their stomachs.

God that man was walking around free, probably laughing his ass off at us...thinking he got away with what he did...playing us for fools.

Frank's blood boiled at the thought. The man probably thinks he's all mighty and powerful...oh just wait Hayden, you think you won this battle, you can bet the Hardy's will win the war and make you powerless. We'll find your circle of minions, Henry, Bartend, Nurse crazy, and Ryan and bring them to justice.

With that Frank got to his feet and start making his way back home. He got back it was going on 8 am.

His mother and aunt were probably up making breakfast. It was Monday...that meant Aunt Gertrude would be making pancakes. His mouth watered just thinking about it.

He was back on his street he ran along the sidewalk...he slowed down when his house came into view, he saw Chief Collig's squad car in the driveway he didn't know why but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, he ran faster.

He made his way to the inside there he found Chief Collig, and Con in the living room with Fenton, Sam and Joe. They all had grim looks on their faces. Something was wrong. The older Hardy boy knew it. They all turned and looked at him each with grim faces.

"What's going on?" He inquired, tilting his head inquisitively.

"Frank, thank God." Joe replied with a sigh of relief. He rushed over with his crutches and he whispered to him, "I believe you. No matter what they say, I believe you."

"Believe what. What are you talking about?" Frank saw fear and tears in Joe's eyes.

"Frank, Where were you this morning?" Fenton immediately asked him. "You've been gone for two hours."

"I went out for a run 5 this morning. Like I usually do. I went to the pier on Shore Road sitting on the docks watching the sunrise and cooling off." Frank answered knitting his eyebrows together. "Why?"

Fenton, exchanged glances with Con and Chief Collig, the Chief stepped forward, he sighed warily, " Jack Hayden was found dead this morning."

Frank's mouth dropped. " dead." He gasped.

"An anonymous call came into the station to report a dead body in a ditch along Shore Road. When we got there we found the body and discovered it was Hayden. He'd been shot in the head. That caller also reported seeing you."

"What?" Frank paled at the words coming out of the Chief's mouth.

"Frank, they found a gun with your fingerprints on it." Fenton replied he was sick to his stomach. He didn't like where this was going.

Frank couldn't believe what he was hearing. this wasn't happening. Things were starting to move in the right direction. He was going to Princeton, he was engaged to Callie. Hardy and sons Detective agency was going to happen.

No...no...not this. "Me! I didn't!" Frank shot back defensively.

Fenton, Joe and Frank's heart dropped as the Chief said next, "I'm sorry Frank, as of now you are the prime suspect in the murder of Jack Hayden."

 **To be continued...A Brother's Revenge**


End file.
